Amazing Grace
by njborba
Summary: A tragic loss sends Daisy down the long road of rediscovery. The rest of the cliffhangers, along with Sophie and Peter, help to get her through it.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within."  
_-_James Baldwin_

_Prologue_

"I don't want to go home this summer," Ezra decided not to beat around the bush. He knew if he hadn't said it outright it would have eaten at him till there were no words left. He watched her and waiting for some sort of reaction.

Her brown hair fell to each side of her face as she leaned forward and placed her elbows to her knees. Daisy rested her head in her hands and watched the fire flames dance and lick the night sky. "Why don't you?" she turned the conversation back to him.

Ezra knew her tactics by now. He wasn't going to play fair either. "Because I've finally found true love."

That did the trick. Daisy sat upright and turned to face him, her eyes were wide with surprise. They had come a long way since the night she'd told him she didn't want a boyfriend. That statement had hurt Ezra more than he ever cared to admit. But, after Shelby leaving and returning things had changed again. She hadn't been so afraid to let him in after that.

It had been slow at first, "dates" together eating popcorn in the library as she grilled him on nearly every line of Romeo & Juliet. Doing homework together and walking at the back of the group on their daily hikes. Hand holding had come after that, then a first kiss and several more. Those were harder to achieve though, as Peter and Sophie had quickly caught wind of their increased relationship.

Ezra had stopped worrying so much and she'd started to open up further. The true Daisy was still mostly reserved only for him and Shelby but she was growing. So was he. He didn't know what exactly had sparked the change in either of them. But it didn't seem like a thing to try and figure out. They did that too much in Peter's sessions. When it was just the two of them, they let themselves be free.

Their first summer apart wasn't so bad. They'd barely started anything by that point. This summer would be different. After a solid year their relationship was more than either of them could have imagined. It was the only solid thing either of them had. Being separated for two and a half months was going to be very hard.

She smirked as she leaned forward again. "Someone sure thinks highly of himself," he could practically hear the chuckle in her tone. He loved to hear her laugh more than anything. "True love is for fairy tales, Ezra," her dry tone returned. "Don't tell me you re-wrote one of those as well," she turned her head slightly and winked at him over her shoulder.

His lips curled into a soft smile. "You are such a tease," he shook his head and reached for her hand. She easy slipped hers into his and they snuggled as much as possible by the fire. It was hard to get too close knowing one of the counselors would be by on patrol before long. They sat that way for a short time before he broke the silence.

"They say the judge is finally going to make his decision some time later in the summer," Ezra hated to talk about his parents. It still upset him the way they'd tried to fool him into believing everything was better between them. They hadn't even tried to visit at all over the past school year. "The judge will probably ask me who I want to live with," he concluded.

"Kind of wish I had another choice beside dear old dad," Daisy muttered. She looked over at Ezra. "Sorry, not about me," she apologized.

He squeezed her hand tighter. "It's just so stupid really, I'm seventeen. Next year will be my last year here then its college. It's not like I'm going to have to live with either of them much longer," Ezra pointed out.

"Maybe you could get yourself emancipated," Daisy suggested. She noticed his slightly confused look. "You know I watch too much TV," she grinned. "Seriously, you could break away from them. Maybe find your real parents like you wanted."

Ezra nodded absently. "Except I have no money and I have college to think about, and finding my birth parents too." He turned over that idea in his head again. Over the last year the idea had only grown and not waned at all. "I hate that it comes down to money some times."

Daisy pursed her lips in thought. "Peter's got his scholarship program up and running. For you, he'd do anything. You could be free from your parents and stay here," she seemed confident. The truth was; she was scared again, scared of losing him, scared of being alone.

"I don't…" he paused. "The things they've done, it's all been such a mess but I still…" he couldn't quite get the words out.

"Still love them," she finished for him. They both jumped apart as Roger walked by and shook his head at them in a simple warning. Ezra busied himself for a moment by throwing another few logs on the small bonfire. When Roger was out of sight they drifted back together, hands clasped again.

Ezra's head nodded gently against hers as they rested against one another. "Yeah, I do love them," he finally admitted.

They pulled back a second and looked into each others eyes. Ezra smiled shyly and Daisy rolled her eyes at his innocent act. She leaned in and initiated the kiss. It was gentle but probing. They'd spent a long time dancing around one another, wanting more but knowing it wasn't time. Now, with summer looming before them and the prospect of months apart, their hormones were working on overdrive.

"It's going to be a long summer," Daisy whispered against his lips. It was hard to believe that she'd once pushed him away. Being without him for even a day now seemed like an eternity. She hated sometimes that he'd gotten her to open up so much. Other times she couldn't thank him enough for it.

His curly hair waved softly in the cool evening breeze. His eyes sparkled with a gleam she didn't think she'd seen before. "We still have tomorrow," Ezra reminded her. "After we watch the graduates, let's go to the lake," he suggested.

She felt self doubt creeping in again. "Just because it's our last day, I doubt Peter and Sophie will be any more lenient about the whole _boys staying clear of girls_ rule," she remarked.

"There'll be a lot of commotion, a bunch of parents, parties. Remember last year at Kat's graduation? We all went swimming and no one even noticed we were gone," he looked her in the eye. "I doubt they'll miss us this time either," Ezra surmised.

Daisy knew what he was asking. It was about more than meeting by the lake, more than a walk through the woods at the back of the group or a friendly holding of hands. They were talking about a major life altering event that was sure to change the entire makeup of their relationship. She wasn't sure if she was ready.

"We could also just stay here with the group," Ezra offered. "Just hang out like last year," he concluded.

And that was why she cared so much about him. Because as much as she knew he wanted more than a few stolen kisses, he was also willing to wait. She smiled freely at his words and placed her head against his shoulder again. "The lake sounds better," she whispered.

xxx

Moonlight splayed through the tree branches. It created shadowy patterns along their bare skin. A coyote howl echoed across the lake. Ezra reluctantly shifted and pulled away from her. He reached out and untangled a small twig from her hair. "How romantic," he tossed the branch and looked down at the ground, feeling bad for making her first time be on the uncomfortable forest floor.

"Don't do that," she scolded, her lips forming the infamous pout. Daisy raised his chin. "What we did, we shouldn't feel guilty," she was trying to be the voice of reason. It was quite a roll reversal for them.

"We're too young," Ezra countered. He sat up and pulled on his shirt.

She shrugged the comment off. "We consented and we were responsible," Daisy reached over and picked up the condom wrapper. She waved it in his face. "Some people wait their whole lives thinking the timing isn't right, they're too young, they're too old. You and I weren't afraid to follow our hearts. Maybe it was slightly irresponsible, but at least it was true. Peter's taught us to be true to ourselves."

He handed Daisy some of her clothes. "I don't think this is exactly the sort of truth he had in mind," Ezra replied. He stopped his own dressing and smiled at her, watching as soft cotton covered up skin he had just intimately introduced himself to. "But it was a glorious truth." He sighed, feeling the night press in on him. "I love you Daisy," the words blurted from his mouth.

Daisy looked like a dear caught in headlights. "Ezra, I…" she dipped her head and finished dressing. For all her bravado earlier, that one word sent her tough exterior crashing.

"It's okay," Ezra stood up and started folding the blanket they had spread out. "It was an impulse on my part. Forget about it," he tried to play it off like it didn't matter.

"No, I don't want to forget Ezra," Daisy stood up and faced him. "It's just…" she pushed her hair behind her ears. "I told you once that death scared me more than anything," he nodded; remembering how ticked off she'd been at him for ending up at the hospital. "Well, I lied. Love scares me the most," she confessed.

His hands cupped her face and they kissed again. "We should be headed back," Ezra pulled away from their embrace. "By now they probably will be looking for us."

"They gonna put us on shuns for the rest of the night?" Daisy joked. "We leave tomorrow, what can they do?"

"Tell our parents and maybe not let us back next year," Ezra quickly countered.

"Oh, right," Daisy's face fell as she gathered the rest of their things.

He dipped his head and caught her eyes again. He didn't know how he was going to make it through the summer without seeing her eyes. "We're going to see each other in less than three months. It will be like we never left," he flashed an encouraging smile.

Daisy nodded, trying to stay strong. They headed back toward campus hand-in-hand. "Whatever happens with your parents, Ezra, you'll do great," she said as they neared the clearing in front of the dorms.

"Really?" Ezra stopped and looked over at her.

She shrugged in reply. "Actually I was just trying to be the supportive girlfriend," she admitted. "I see some things, but not all."

Ezra could only focus on the term girlfriend that she'd just used for the first time. "Remember when you told me you never had a boyfriend before? Well, I've never had a girlfriend before either," he revealed.

"So I'm your first?"

"First, last, only…" his voice drifted off. He looked over and could see the blank look of panic rising upon her face. "And I just totally freaked you out and I'm shutting up now," Ezra squeezed her hand, hoping she was okay. Daisy smiled but neither of them wanted to take those last few steps toward campus. "We should have a code phrase," Ezra announced.

"For what?" Daisy cocked her head at him in a questioning manner.

"To tell each other that, you know… what I said earlier. Since the 'L' word scares you, we'll speak in code," he was mentally going through his list of possibilities. Finally one stuck in his head. "I'll say lucky socks."

"Lucky socks?" Daisy shook her head at him. "What do lucky socks have to do with the 'L' word?"

He grinned. "You know, you wear them for luck during the big game and on your first date and they always bring good things so you never want to take them off or do anything to change the power that they have over your life," Ezra rambled on without a breath.

"I think what we just did, scrambled whatever you had left for brains," Daisy replied.

"I sense a non-believe in my mists," Ezra's voice was playful. "So…" he persisted. "I'll say lucky socks and in return you'll say…"

Daisy frowned at him. His idea seemed completely absurd and at the same time it was just so Ezra. She couldn't help getting wrapped up in his nonsense. "Should never be washed?" it was the first thing that came to mind.

Ezra performed his famous head-nod-grin, the surest sign of his approval. "I like it," he replied, proud that she'd actually fallen for his crazy antics. "That's great, Dais, lucky socks should never be washed. It's perfect," he beamed.

She shook her head. "And they call me weird," Daisy squeezed his hand in hers as they continued on.

xxx

Scott was already gone; he was spending the summer with his real mom for a change. Shelby and her sister were waiting for their mother. Auggie and Juliette were gone too, after a long drawn out good-bye, which had finally been broken up by Peter. Ezra's parents were there now, standing guard by their car as they allowed their son to say his good-byes.

Daisy hated how they were looking at her, like she had horns growing out of her skull or something. She hated the way they'd pretended to like her for Ezra's sake, how they'd placated her with make-believe understanding. Mostly she hated herself for getting caught up in their lies. She'd never had parents who gave a damn. And their little bit of attention had been nice while it lasted.

"Hey, Earth to Daisy," Ezra waved a hand in front of her face. She reined her thoughts in and tried to pull on a smile for him. It fell short of reaching her eyes. "I'll write every week, promise," he reached for her hand.

They both looked over at Peter. He gave them a slight warning look but allowed the contact. "If he knew about last night he wouldn't be so wary of a little hand shake," Daisy arched an eyebrow at Ezra as she spoke. Her face turned solemn again as the seconds ticked by. "I won't say good-bye."

"Okay," Ezra agreed. "See you at the end of the summer."

Their hands dropped away and he made his way to the car. Daisy stood there feeling like an idiot as she watched his every move. She'd sworn to herself never to let any guy make her so weak. But Ezra's innocent and carrying nature had been just the thing to bring out the real Daisy. He'd broken the final mask.

"Daisy!" his voice called out from the open back window of his parent's car. "Lucky socks," he said as the car was pulling away.

She looked around at the few people left and shook her head, trying to hide the embarrassed flush that was creeping into her cheeks. But none of them knew what it meant. Daisy re-focused and realized the car was getting away. "Should never be washed!" she finally shouted back.

Ezra's smile shinned back at her and she knew he'd caught her reply just in time. She'd said it back. She loved him.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"I never knew the sun's irradiant beams upon the brooding earth no more would shine."  
-Dorothy Parker_

_Part 1… Two and a half months later…_

Scott was seated on the sofa beside Shelby, trying to get as close as possible without actually touching. Peter and Sophie had called a meeting for the cliffhangers and they didn't plan on getting shuns their first day back after an eternally long summer apart. Shelby glanced around the room at those gathered. Everyone looked happy and well rested, except for one of her closest friends.

"The last time I saw her I thought her smile might break her face in half," she nodded her head toward Daisy. Scott's eyes followed. "She was also spouting something to Ezra about not washing socks."

He chuckled for a moment but realized that Daisy didn't look happy by any means. "So what do you think is up?" he asked. Scott and Daisy had never been close but the cliffhangers stuck together. Every problem was a group problem.

Shelby shrugged. "She hasn't even spoken to me," the girl replied with concern. "The last letter I got from her was about half way through the summer then nothing."

"Hey," Auggie leaned toward Shelby and Scott. He was to their left on the sofa and Juliette was perched on the sofa's arm, her hand on Auggie's shoulder. He interrupted their conversation. "What do you think this meeting is about? We've already had orientation all day," he pointed out the obvious. "Someone in trouble already?"

Juliette got a big grin on her face. "I bet it's Sophie," she mused.

"What about Sophie?" Scott asked.

"Well, what else?" Juliette went on with a broad smile. "She's pregnant, that's got to be it."

"Shut-up, queenie," Shelby interjected. "You don't know what you're talking about." She knew that Daisy and she were the only ones who knew Sophie's secret but Shelby was still territorial about the issue. Auggie tried to placate Juliette who looked ready to strike out at Shelby.

"What was that about?" Scott asked his girlfriend.

Shelby frowned. "She just shouldn't go around pretending she knows everything about everything," she replied dismissively.

Scott decided not to press the issue. He gently touched her hand and she responded, resting hers against his. They pulled them apart a second later as Peter and Sophie entered the main lodge where they'd gathered by the fireplace. "Man, I think Shelby might be right. From the looks on their faces, I don't think its happy news," Auggie pointed out.

Daisy felt her stomach flop as Sophie and Peter entered the room. She'd been having the same sensation for nearly a month but it was ten fold as they sat down beside each other on the hearth. She also tried not to dwell on Ezra's absence from the group, or the broken promise he'd made about writing her every week of the summer. For the last month she hadn't received any word from him.

"It's best that we just give you this news straight," Peter began. The veins in his forehead were strained. Sophie clung to him as if she were might fall over without his support. "Ezra was scheduled to show up in court two weeks ago for the final decision on his custody hearing," Peter continued.

"Man, that's whacked," Auggie mumbled. "He's gonna be an adult soon. Why they still fighting like that?"

No one answered his question. Peter took a deep breath. "Ezra never showed up," he continued. "They found him later that afternoon. He was unconscious in his room at his dad's place."

Daisy stood up and slapped her hands loudly against her thighs. "That's great," she grumbled as she paced in front of the fireplace. "I can't believe they did this to him again. Don't parents ever get a clue?" she was trying not to hate herself for having doubted his promise to her. "So, how long this time?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Daisy," Sophie unattached herself from Peter and stood.

"I mean, he can come back here right? Spend his recovery time in the Horizon infirmary like last time," the young girl shook her head. "I'm gonna kill him for doing this to me again."

"Daisy," Sophie stopped the teenager from her pacing, placing hands on the girl's shoulders. Everyone was quiet, not sure what to do. They all had a really bad feeling that Ezra accident was more serious than Daisy was making it out to be. Peter came to the girl's side as well. "He never woke up, Daisy," he finally revealed.

Shelby grabbed Scott's hand and dug her nails into his flesh. Scott just felt like punching something or throwing something, throwing always seemed to help. Juliette had climbed onto Auggie's lap, neither of them carried about the rules at that moment. Even David, who'd stayed completely out of it all until then, looked like a lost little kid.

"What does that mean?" Daisy jerked herself out of Sophie's hold. "He will wake up, right?" her voice broke despite the brave front she was trying to exude.

Peter couldn't believe what he still had to do. "Ezra slipped into a coma that night. He never woke up. He died three days ago."

Juliette sobbed outright as the words escaped Peter's lips. Auggie held her tighter, trying to keep his own tears at bay. Scott couldn't stop his; they fell down his face and mingled with Shelby's as she leaned against his cheek. David watched Daisy, remembering what an ass he'd been to Ezra over her. She looked so lost now without him.

Sophie tried to gage Daisy's reaction. She watched as they girl morphed in front of her eyes, could practically pinpoint the second in which the teenager withdrew inside herself. "Death is inevitable. Sooner or later, it catches up to all of us," Daisy coldly responded to the news.

"That's it?" Juliette squeaked as she lifted her head off Auggie's shoulder. "Ezra's gone… he's… and you're going to just pretend it doesn't matter? I thought you'd changed Daisy," the girl looked disappointed in her friend. "I thought you loved him."

"Jules," Auggie tried to calm her. They could all tell that Daisy wasn't dealing.

Daisy grinned even as her stomach lurched again. The pain was worse than before. She felt dizzy and sick inside. "Love is a constant disappointment. The sooner we all realize that, the better off we'll be," she shrugged her shoulders, looking around at all of them with a blank stare upon her face.

"Can we go to the funeral?" Scott asked.

Peter dropped his head. "I'm afraid not. You know it's too far and we just can't…" he could feel their sorrow, he shared it. "Sophie and I thought it would be good to have a small ceremony here for him, so you can all say good-bye."

"Good-bye?" Daisy spat the word out like it had burnt her. "The way Ezra was thoughtful enough to say good-bye to us?" she laughed a hollow sound that echoed and bounced eerily off the walls. "He left m…" her voice broke as she stopped herself. "He left all of you without a word, why should you pay your respects when he didn't give a damn what you thought!"

She walked away from them all, her head held high until she reached the brisk evening air. It stung her cheeks and whispered doubt in her ear. Daisy couldn't catch her breath as the sob rose steadily to her throat. Her body fought it as she took off at a dead sprint across the grounds. She didn't stop until she reached the lake.

The physical pain blocked out the emotional. She hid it, buried it deep and kept her tears from falling. Daisy fell to her knees in the very place where she'd given herself over to him, completely and without reservation. They'd linked as one, body and soul. He'd told her that night about how Shelby once explained a quote, to the effect of best friends being two bodies containing one soul. Now he'd taken half of her with him and she'd never forgive him for that.

Clouds hovered overhead, they loomed low and heavy. Their haziness blocked out all light from the evening sun. Her heart felt the same, all brightness locked away from its depths. He was the only bright spot that had managed to work its way in. All others faded in comparison. Now he was gone and it wasn't death or love that scared her any longer.

She was afraid of being alone forever.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_As long as the world is turning and spinning, we're gonna be dizzy and we're gonna make mistakes.  
-Mel Brooks_

_Part 2_

Shelby tossed and turned. She was too hot and too cold. There was no comfortable spot in her bed. She lay on her back trying to stop thinking about Ezra. It was so hard to imagine that they'd never see the little Friedken again. She swiped away a stray tear, glad that it was dark in the room and no one could see her.

She turned over and glanced across the way at Daisy's bed. A motionless lump lay there. Shelby wondered if she was actually asleep or not, but she wasn't going to find out. She was worried about her friend but she didn't know what to say or do. A sound alerted her attention to the bathroom.

It was pretty distinctive, something they'd all heard a time or two before living with the princess; the sound of breakfast, lunch or dinner being re-visited. It was fairly obvious that the girl was at it again. Shelby pulled a pillow over her head and tried to block the sound out. She didn't want to know about it. Denial meant she wouldn't have to bring it up at group.

Her eyes closed as she tried to count sheep, something she hadn't done since she was five.

xxx

Breakfast the next morning was quiet. The cliffhangers all sat together except for Daisy. No one had seen her all morning. They were worried but didn't know what to do. Death wasn't easy to deal with and Daisy was the only one of them who'd really ever faced it before. It didn't seem fair to them that she had to go through it all again.

"So, first day of classes," Auggie tried to start a conversation. "First day of our last year here… should be a big one."

"Yeah," Scott agreed, absently pushing around scrambled eggs on his plate.

"Yep," David agreed. He was behaving far too un-obnoxious. No one seemed like their selves that morning.

"It's really started off with a bang," Shelby tried to interject some sarcasm into the group, in the wake of Daisy's absence.

It didn't go over well at all. No one spoke again as they dropped their dirty dishes off and headed to class. It was pretty much business as usual at Horizon that day, as if no one even cared. Shelby knew that wasn't true. A hundred kids who all had trouble dealing with their emotions, it didn't make for easy conversation about the death of a good friend.

Lunch was about as lively as breakfast and Shelby kept trying to catch Daisy's attention as they floated in and out of class. Their last class wasn't together so Shelby wandered the campus after final bell, hoping to catch some glimpse of her friend. After an hour she'd given up and stopped to drop off her books at the cliffhanger girl's dorm.

As soon as she'd dropped her bag on the bed she heard a familiar noise again from the bathroom. Shelby sighed and leaned against the wall, waiting and wondering what she should say to Juliette. One incidence she felt she could excuse but two so close together seemed like it was becoming a common habit again.

She wrestled with what to do and finally came to a conclusion. Shelby made her way to Sophie's office and told her that she wanted to call a cliffhanger meeting. It was organized quickly, as they usually were. Everyone was seated in the cafeteria an hour later. It seemed a fitting enough place to Shelby as she eyed Juliette beside Auggie.

"Okay, Shelby," Sophie nodded toward the girl. "You called this meeting, what do you want to address?" she got the ball rolling.

Shelby sat back in her chair. "It's not my intention to rat anyone out here," she started. Scott raised an eyebrow at her. Auggie looked confused as well. David kept watching Daisy who was not paying attention at all. Juliette just seemed annoyed. "I understand these past two days haven't been easy for any of us, but that's no reason to slip up," she spoke cryptically.

"What are you going on about, Shel?" Scott questioned her odd behavior.

"Look, Juliette, I'm just worried okay," Shelby finally addressed the girl directly. "I don't want to see you mess up the good thing you've had going for a while now," she explained.

"Mess up what?" Auggie turned to his girl. "What's she talkin' about Jules?"

Juliette looked surprised by the callout. "I don't know," she shrugged.

"I heard you last night, Jules," Shelby spoke again. "And I heard you again just a little while ago, after classes."

"Heard me what?" Juliette was starting to feel ganged up on. She turned to Sophie and Peter. "I don't know what she's talking about. I haven't done anything, I haven't done _that_ in a long time," she maintained. "Why are you doing this to me, Shelby?"

Peter interrupted before anything else could brew between the two girls. "Come on Jules, I think we should have a talk in my office," he motioned for her to join him.

The teenager huffed as she stood. She glared at Shelby. "Why are you doing this?" she asked again.

"Come on, Jules," Peter ushered the girl out, followed closely by Sophie. They walked to the administration offices, all the while listening to Juliette's protests. Sophie was stopped before she could join Peter in his office.

"I'm sorry," it was Annie, the head nurse at Horizon, who caught Sophie's attention. "That looks important," she nodded toward Peter and Juliette. "But, so is this," the middle-aged woman produced a file and handed it over to Sophie. "Something came up in one of the cliffhangers re-admittance medical exam," she explained.

Sophie frowned when she noticed the name on the file. She flipped it open and scanned the paperwork until her eyes fell upon some startling results. Her mouth hung open. "Is this… are you sure?" she looked up at Annie again.

The nurse nodded. "I ran the blood work three times to be very sure," she replied.

"Thanks," Sophie said as the nurse nodded and left her alone. Juliette's issue resurfaced in her mind and something suddenly didn't sit well with her. The thoughts were turning quickly in her head. Juliette had been doing so well and it wasn't like her to lie about a mistake. She'd always been very upfront about her problem.

The door to Peter's office swung open and Sophie glanced down at Juliette who looked like she was on the verge of tears. Sophie placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can go, sweetie," she spoke softly to the teen.

Peter cocked his head at his wife and watched as Juliette took her chance and fled the room. "You mind telling me what that was about," he asked. "We were in the middle of a conversation."

"It wasn't her," Sophie moved across the room and placed the file on his desk. She moved to lean up against the window sill behind him.

He looked up a few moments later after reading what she had just discovered. "Is this some sort of joke?" he turned to her, hoping against hope that it was.

She shook her head, hating to disappoint him.

xxx

The late afternoon sunlight drifted through the curtains in Peter's office. "Sooo…" Daisy drew the word out. She looked to Peter and Sophie. "To what do I owe this great honor of being called in here?" her eyes widened in a questioning manner as she waited for a response.

"Is there something going on that you'd like to tell us about, Daisy?" Peter folded his hands on top of his desk, he leaned forward hoping to get something of a less sarcastic response from the girl for once.

"Not a thing," she replied without batting an eyelash. "Can I go now?"

Peter shook his head. "No, you can't," he informed her.

She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest, a firm look of defiance resided upon her face. Sophie sat beside her and placed a hand on Daisy's knee. The girl pulled away from her contact. "Daisy, did you think you could hide this?" she asked, trying to get an understanding of what was going on.

"Hide what?" the flip remark came at them again.

"Enough, Daisy!" Peter lost his cool for a second. "I understand that Ezra's death hit you hard," his voice calmed down. He watched as her gaze searched elsewhere, avoiding his eyes. He sighed and grabbed her medical file. "You know you can't stay here because of this," Peter dropped it in her lap.

Daisy stared straight ahead, looking at a blank spot on the wall. "You already know, don't you?" Sophie asked.

The teenager shrugged. "I…" her voice was barely a whisper. "I guess I suspected," she finally admitted.

"Why didn't you say anything Daisy?" Peter felt his heart break for her. He'd never seen her look more afraid than she did at that exact moment. He watched as her lower lip trembled and he wanted to just wrap his arms around her and tell her everything was going to be okay. But he knew he couldn't, because he didn't know if it would be.

She opened her mouth but sound was hard to form. "I…" Daisy felt her chest thump. "I didn't know what to do. I couldn't tell my dad and I thought that… I just needed to," the tears finally came. "I was just waiting to talk to Ezra," she gulped past the sob caught in her throat. "I just needed to tell him first before I could even..."

Sophie whipped her own tears away before wrapping her arms around the girl. She was thankful when Daisy didn't pull away. "Shh," she tried to sooth the poor girl as she felt her body shake with emotion. A hand stroked gently over her hair. Memories of how she'd finally been able to cry after her mother's funeral came to haunt her. No child deserved so much pain.

"I can't go home, Peter," Daisy collected herself a little. "He'll… I just can't," she pleaded.

Peter sighed as he looked to Sophie for an answer. "My hands are tied here, Daisy. You know the rules. I'm assuming this happened on school grounds," he noticed the tiny bob of her head. "When word of this gets out to the other parents, they could make this difficult for me Daisy. Not to mention, teenaged pregnancy isn't something our insurance will cover," he shook his head. "This was very irresponsible of you."

"Peter," his wife tried to stop him from further lecture. He threw up his hands. Of all the kids he'd seen come and go from Horizon, he never would have expected such an incidence from Daisy and Ezra. And now Ezra was gone and Daisy was left to bear the burden alone. Life just seemed to love throwing him curves.

Daisy hated the look of disappointment she saw in Peter's eyes. In the short time she'd known him; he'd been more of a father to her than her own. "What do I do?" she asked, feeling more lost than ever. "What do I do?"

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"It's easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend."_  
-_William__ Blake_

_Part 3_

Daisy walked into the cliffhanger girl's dorm and tried to plaster on some semblance of a mask. She'd thought the time for masks had long since past but it seemed that everything old was new again. Peter and Sophie had tried to be helpful in their own way. But Peter was right, she'd made a mistake and it was time to deal with the consequences of her actions.

She paused in the doorway and noticed that Juliette and Shelby were both sprawled on their respective beds. It was very obvious that they were upset with each other, the way they kept glancing up and then looking away quickly when the other caught their eye. Daisy knew there was at least one fence she needed to mend before leaving Horizon for good.

One foot in front of the other, Daisy slowly made her way over to Juliette's bunk. Unfortunately when she got there, no words wanted to form. "Hey Daisy," Juliette easily smiled up at the other girl.

"I'm sorry," Daisy finally spoke. "For, uh, getting you in trouble earlier."

"What do you mean?" Juliette was confused.

Shelby was confused as well. She sat up in her bed and took note of the conversation. "I knew it wasn't you throwing up in the bathroom," Daisy revealed. "And I didn't say anything to the group. So, I'm sorry," she finished.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Jules questioned.

"Yeah," Shelby piped in. "Why did you let me sit there like an idiot, blaming the wrong person?"

Daisy turned toward her best friend. It took all her effort to keep from breaking down in front of them. "Because I didn't want anyone to know that it was me," she confessed.

"Wait a minute," Shelby stood up facing Daisy. "It was you praying to the porcelain god?"

The only answer she got was a nod of Daisy's head. "But why?" Juliette asked, still seated at the edge of her bed. "Are you sick? Or are you, uh… you know, like me?" she prodded.

"Please," Daisy rolled her eyes as she moved away from them and toward her bunk. "I would never willingly make myself throw up," she felt ill just at the mention of the act. It didn't help that her stomach was currently woozy. "I just," she threw up her hands.

"It's because of Ezra, right?" Juliette looked like she was about to cry and Daisy couldn't handle that. She turned her back to both of them. "I know you're sad, we all are," Jules continued. "But letting it eat at you so badly that you're making your self physically sick, well that's not good," she concluded.

"Thank you, counselor princess," Shelby sneered at the dark haired girl.

"I was just trying to help," Juliette pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her head on her knees and tried to keep from crying.

Daisy made her way to Juliette and put a hand on the girl's head. "Thank you," the words were barely a whisper as she quickly retreated and moved back to her bunk. She stood there for a long moment, looking completely lost.

Shelby was worried about her good friend. She'd helped her through one death but never imagined it would come to that again. The teen wondered, not for the first time, why bad things always seemed to happen to them. She wanted to talk to Daisy alone, which meant getting rid of Juliette, which meant an apology.

"Look, queenie," she tried to be diplomatic but it wasn't her strong suite. "I'm sorry about accusing you. I thought I was doing the right thing, but… I was wrong," Shelby swallowed the sour taste those words made in her mouth.

Juliette grinned. "Next time, why don't you come to me first?"

"Yeah, sure," Shelby nodded in agreement. "Apology accepted?"

The other girl nodded. "Yes, apology accepted."

"Good, not get lost, okay?" Shelby subtly nodded her head in Daisy's direction, hoping the princess would get the clue that she wanted to talk privately. To her surprise, Juliette quietly got her things and headed out of the room.

Daisy hadn't even been paying attention to their conversation, nor had she registered Juliette leaving. She was actually startled when Shelby sat down on the edge of her bed. But she didn't say anything, just reached under her bunk and pulled out her hiking pack. She tossed it atop her bed and grabbed some clothes, tossing them aimlessly in the bag.

"What are you doing?" Shelby's worry grew as she watched Daisy fill the bag. There was usually only one reason for packing a bag. That was to leave.

"My father is coming to pick me up tomorrow," Daisy replied, not stopping her actions.

Shelby frowned. "Kind of early in the year for a visit, isn't it?" she queried, still not letting the reality of it sink in. Daisy's dad never came to visit, not once since the girl had been at Horizon.

"Not a visit," Daisy mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Shelby felt her whole body tense up.

Daisy finally halted her movements for a second and looked Shelby in the eye. "It seems I'm not welcome at Mt. Horizon any longer," she clarified a little. "You break the rules, you suffer the consequences."

"What rules could you have possibly broken in less than two days?" Shelby was starting to panic. As much as she liked to deny needing anyone, Daisy was her rock, almost as much as Scott. And Daisy was the only one she could really talk to _about_ Scott. The only one who listened and didn't judge.

"I was stupid," Daisy felt a tear prick her eyes and turned away from Shelby. She stared out the window for a minute. "This time, there's no mask to hide behind. There aren't any big enough," she concluded, sucking up her tears. Daisy resumed packing.

Shelby reached out and caught her friend's hand, stopping her. "Daisy, you're scaring me here," she tried to catch the other girl's eyes but Daisy wouldn't make contact. "You're not making any sense."

Daisy pulled away. "The world doesn't make sense, Shel," she replied in a monotone voice.

"Well, whatever it is, there must be a way around it," Shelby wasn't even close to giving up on her friend. "Have you talked to Peter? I'm sure he could find a way to help you stay. If it's about money…"

"There's only one solution I know that will allow me to stay," Daisy interrupted as she grabbed a few of her favorite books and jammed them into her bag.

"Well, what is it?" Shelby asked.

Daisy closed her bag and placed it on the floor then kicked it under her bed with one foot. "I'll have to get away from here before my father shows up tomorrow," she said as she sat down. "If I leave after lights out tonight, I should be in Seattle before they even know I'm gone."

"Seattle? You're talking about running away?" Shelby was so far beyond confused she didn't know what to think. "This isn't like you Dais."

"Please don't pretend that you know everything about me because you don't," Daisy snapped back. It was easier to push the others away than to face her problems head on. She was sick of talking.

"Fine," Shelby back off. "I know you're hurting, we all are. But if you want to be mean about it… I'm out of here," she was hurt but she wasn't going to hang around and let Daisy tear her down. "Friends don't push each other away."

"Shelby, wait. I…" Daisy felt the world closing in on her. "I don't think I can do this along."

"Do what alone?" Shelby gave her friend one more chance.

"Come with me?" Daisy asked not really answering Shelby's question.

Shelby sighed. "Dais, I can't just run off with you. Tell me what is going on," she implored the girl.

"Never mind, just…" Daisy pushed her away with words again. "You wouldn't run off with Scott, why should I expect you'd go with me. Some friend," she mumbled under her breath.

"I am your friend!" Shelby shot back. "I'm trying to talk to you. I'm trying to understand and you won't give me an inch here. If you gave me one simple reason why you need to get away from here so fast, I'd be packing my own bag right now. Just tell me what is going on, Daisy," she tried one last time to get her friend to open up.

"Nah, its better you don't know. I'll be fine on my own," Daisy shrugged. "Will you fink me out in the morning, like you did Scott?"

"I don't know," Shelby replied.

"At least you're honest."

xxx

Daisy didn't know how long she'd been walking but it felt like an eternity. It had probably only been a few miles in reality. She was tired and cold and her shoulders were killing her. The straps from her pack were digging in because she didn't want to latch her waist closure. She knew it would just cause her already upset stomach to be even more uncomfortable.

A soft rustle of sound stopped her in her tracks. She looked around but couldn't see more than two feet in any direction. Daisy moved from the side of the road, walking toward the tree cover as she feared someone might already be looking for her. She stood behind a large pine tree and waited, listening to every sound in the dark night.

"Daisy?" she heard the whisper of her name and could see a small beam of light flickering in the trees. "Daisy, is that you?" the voice was unmistakable.

She moved away from the tree and turned toward the road. Shelby's flashlight practically blinded her as she made her way back to the pavement. "What are you doing here?" Daisy asked as she continued walking.

"Nice greeting," Shelby huffed as she moved to catch up with Daisy's pace. "I just jogged for nearly an hour with this pack on my back and all I get is a, _what are you doing here_?" the girl caught Daisy's arm and stopped her. "I'm risking my neck here and I don't even know why," she hoped to get some sort of reaction from her friend.

Even in the moonlight, Shelby could see how bad Daisy looked. She'd clearly been crying and she looked about ready to pass out. All Shelby wanted was to make the hurt she was experiencing go away. "I'm sorry, okay," she gave in, remembering when that's all she'd wanted to hear from Scott. "I just want to help you Dais, whatever it is that's going on. But I can't help you unless you want to be helped. You have to give me something here. Anything."

Daisy took a deep breath then she chuckled, trying to cover the sobs that were forming in her throat. "You know, I don't think they have a sympathy card for, _sorry the only person you truly loved is dead and now you're having his kid and got kicked out of school_," she laughed again. It echoed in the night. "That's a market Hallmark should really consider tapping in to."

"Daisy," Shelby was in shock. She didn't know what to say and Daisy was now laughing hysterically.

"It's how I cope," Daisy gulped back the tears. "Sarcasm is my drug of choice, but you already know this," she continued to laugh until the sadness engulfed her. Her tears fell freely and Shelby pulled her friend close.

They stood that way for a long time until Daisy stopped crying. They sat down on the damp grass along the road. "Are you really… you know, what you said?" Shelby wasn't sure how to ask. She fished through her pack for a package of Kleenex that she knew was there.

"Pregnant," Daisy let the word escape her lips. "Huh, that's the first time I've said it," somehow it made it seem even more real. She took Shelby's offer of tissue and blew her nose. "I really messed up, didn't I?"

"That's why Peter won't let you stay," Shelby shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around the reality of it. "You broke the rules," Daisy's words were all falling into place. "You and Ezra?" she noticed the tiny nod of Daisy head and watched as more tears fell. "What a mess," Shelby grabbed another tissue and handed it to her friend.

"Tell me about it."

"Dais, the solution in Seattle…" Shelby had a pretty good idea she knew the only thing that would allow Daisy to stay.

Daisy tossed the Kleenex onto the side of the road and stood again. "If you have a problem with it, you can turn back now. It's okay," she tried to shrug it all off like she didn't care one way or the other if Shelby stayed. "I'll deal with it. I got myself into this and I can…"

"Now you can lean on a friend for a while," Shelby replied as she stood and pulled her pack on. "Come on, we're burning darkness here."

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Life is a maze in which we take the wrong turn before we have learnt to walk."  
-Cyril Conolly_

_Part 4_

Peter showed the older man at the dinning counter a picture. It was a snapshot of a smiling Shelby and Daisy together at the first Morp Horizon had ever put on. "Yeah, yeah it was them," the man nodded. "They looked a little different but that's them for sure."

"You picked them up?"

"Yep, not usually in the business of picking up hitch hikers but those two were standing there huddled together on the side of the road, looked pretty tired and lost," the man explained. "All I could think about was my two girls. They're full grown now but, once a father always a father," he concluded.

A small sigh of relief escaped Peter's lips. He felt a little better knowing that they were okay. "And you dropped them here?" he continued his questioning.

"About 5am this morning, had a big load to deliver early."

"That was nearly four hours ago, they could be just about anywhere by now. Did they mention a direction they might be headed? Anything at all?" Peter was desperate. He'd seen how upset Daisy was about leaving and he knew Shelby probably thought she was just being a good friend by going with her.

"Those two were pretty tired, couldn't even get them to take some of the food I had. They kept to themselves." The man paused, thinking. "You know, I think I did hear the dark haired one mention Seattle when they got out of my truck. Don't know if that helps any."

"It does," Peter jumped up. Seattle was a big city but at least it gave him a direction. He grabbed the coffee that he'd ordered and left a few dollars on the counter for the waitress. "I can't thank you enough."

"I just hope you find them girls," the man replied.

Peter nodded as he neared the exit. "So do I," he replied. "So do I."

xxx

Shelby tried not to make eye contact with any of the people in the clinic. Most of them were pregnant women, some older but a few about her and Daisy's age. Shelby was also trying not to think about what her friend was about to do. She couldn't quite reconcile the act in her head. It was a good solution for some but she just couldn't imagine going through with it.

Of course, Shelby was of a mind to never get pregnant in the first place. All the horrible stories she'd heard over her years at Horizon, the things that parents were capable of doing to their children and her own experiences – all of it was enough to put her off having kids all together. At least not for a long, long time.

She tried to sit still, watching the clock on the wall. Daisy had been called back nearly two hours ago and Shelby wondered if they would actually admit her so quickly for the procedure. The waiting was worse than anything, not knowing what was going on. Shelby stood up and paced in front of the large glass window at the front of the downtown clinic.

It was raining out, not an uncommon practice for the northwest. She watched the rain drops fall against the glass and scurry random patterns from the top to the bottom. It was almost like a maze as several of them crisscrossed and collided. "Hey," Shelby nearly jumped out of her skin as she spun around to find Daisy standing there behind her.

"Are you done?" she hesitantly asked. "Did you…"

"Can we just go?" Daisy's voice revealed nothing, nor did her face. She moved toward the door, her pack already in hand.

Shelby quickly followed her out into the rain. They walked in silence for several blocks and finally found themselves down at the water front. There was one pier with a public dock so they made their way out to the end of it. The Puget Sound waters were rumbling with white caps that lapped against the pier's posts. The sky was dismal and gray. It hung heavy and low.

"I couldn't go through with it," Daisy said as they stood there leaning against the wood rail. "The nurse kept asking me all these questions, was I raped, was I using drugs, on and on. And I saw all these posters around, pictures of babies being born, babies in the womb. I don't know why but I just couldn't do it," she rambled aimlessly.

Shelby wrapped an arm around her friend. She wasn't sure if she was relieved or not. It was all such a mess. "What now?" was all she could think to ask.

Daisy shrugged, looking over at her friend. Her tears mingled with the drops of rain falling on their faces. "I don't know. I can't go back, can I?"

"Shelby! Daisy!" they both turned around, surprised by the figure that was racing toward them.

"Peter?" they both asked in unison, trying to make out his face in the falling rain.

The man was drenched from head to toe. "Thank God," he was nearly out of breath as he rested a hand on each of their shoulders. "I've been running up and down every street in Seattle looking for you two. It was easier than driving in the traffic." He stopped a second to look them over. They were both wet and looked tired but otherwise no worse for wear, at least not externally. "Why did you run, Daisy?"

The girl shrugged. "I thought I had a solution," Daisy replied. "Turns out it was the wrong one," she concluded.

Peter had a fairly good idea what she was talking about but he didn't press the matter. "Why don't we get out of this rain and see if we can't find a better solution," he suggested. He grabbed both Daisy and Shelby's packs and slung them over his tired shoulders. "The truck is a few blocks away," he directed them.

xxx

Peter took them to the Pike Place Market where they managed to achieve some semblance of dryness. He also bought them enough food to sink a ship. Shelby ate plenty but Daisy mostly pushed hers around, sipping at some hot chocolate on occasion. In an hour's time they were back on the road headed for horizon. They'd all agreed that going back that night was preferable to staying in the city.

The girls were huddled together at Peter's right, dozing off from time to time. They were both currently awake but slightly delirious as they started to chuckle about absolutely nothing. "So, what's our punishment going to be, Peter? We did run off together, are you going to make us take a pregnancy test?" Shelby laughed, remembering what Jules had told them about her time after running away with Auggie.

Daisy joined in. "Well, I'm pretty sure I know how mine will come back," she laughed.

Peter wasn't sure what to think. If he didn't know better he would have sworn they were under the influence of something. As it was, he figured they were just extremely exhausted from their long journey and lack of proper sleep. He decided to save the lecturing for later. And sure enough their laughter faded out as the two of them fell asleep again.

Two hours later they were at Rusty's eating dinner. Daisy again didn't eat much even though Shelby was ridding her like a mother hen. Peter talked to Sheriff Curtis for a few minutes and let him know that the girls had been found and were fine. He told them they could call off their search. Then he also contacted Sophie to let her know they'd be back within an hour.

The last twenty-five miles seemed to be the longest. Daisy couldn't sleep any more. She knew her father was at Horizon waiting for her and she honestly didn't know what she was going to say to him. Peter had already told him about her being pregnant for which she was grateful. She couldn't imagine actually trying to get those words out in front of her father.

"So what's really going to happen?" Daisy bravely asked, looking to Peter for guidance. She sat between him and Shelby, watching the landscape disappear as the light was sucked out of the sky by nightfall. A deep orange slashed across the horizon and slowly dipped below the trees.

"We'll talk things over with your father," Peter replied. "See what he has to offer to this situation," he added.

Daisy scoffed at that. "Unless we ply him with 80-proof he's probably not going to give a crap," she retorted.

"Daisy," Peter wasn't pleased with her attitude.

"Right, sorry. He's been sober over a year now." She feigned a happy tone. "Of course that doesn't mean he cares about me. It just proves that old dogs can learn new tricks." She shared a grin with Shelby, thankful to have a friend at her side.

Peter sighed. He'd tried to give the girl some leeway given what she was going through but he also needed to remind her about the consequences of her actions. "This is all very serious Daisy; I suggest you start treating it that way," the lecture began to seep out.

Something snapped inside Daisy. "Don't talk to me about serious, Peter," she shot back at him. She had one nerve left and was beyond caring at the moment if she was out of line. "I just walked and hitchhiked a couple hundred miles so that I could have an abortion," Daisy choked on the words. "Because I thought it was the only way to stay at Horizon, because I didn't want to go home to face my father. I nearly killed this kid because I didn't want to face him. So please, do not sit there and lecture me on how serious this all is. I know," she whispered the last words. "I know," the tears were falling again.

Shelby wrapped her arms around Daisy and let her cry. Peter didn't say another word the rest of their drive back.

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions."  
-Stephan Covey_

_Part 5_

"Hello, Daisy," her father stood as she entered Peter's office. It was late and he'd been there for hours waiting. The look on his face pretty much told her everything she needed to know. He was not at all amused.

Shelby stood beside her. Sophie and Peter were across from them. They all watched the father daughter interaction, hoping for the best and fearing the worst. "Daddy," Daisy replied wearily.

The man frowned at her tone. "Can we talk?"

Peter moved forward. "Shelby, why don't you…"

"No," Daisy reached out and grabbed her friends arm. "I want her to stay," she looked her father in the eye. "She's my friend; she knows everything about what's going on, more than you," her tone was accusatory. "Whatever you have to say to me, she can hear too. All of them can," Daisy looked to Peter and Sophie, hoping they'd stay as well.

"Fine," her father shook his head. "I am so disappointed in you Daisy." A small burst of laughter escaped the teenager's lips. She tried not to smile. "You find this amusing?" he was fuming.

She nodded. "At least I've finally done something worthy of your disappointment. At least you've actually said it to my face. It's actually refreshing to hear, rather than the dead silence I used to get at home," Daisy concluded.

"Daisy," Peter put on his father voice, sending her a warning look. "Mr. Lipenowski, I hope you can understand my position here. If it were up to me, Daisy could stay and I still plan to try and make that happen somehow. This trip home may only be temporary. I…"

Daisy's father interrupted him. "I think you've misunderstood my reason for being here, Mr. Scarbrow," he glanced over at his daughter again, disappointment shinning. "Daisy is not welcome in my home any longer. I simply came to give you this," he handed Peter a slip of paper.

"This is a check," Peter's eyes grew big as he looked at the amount.

"So much for that father/daughter heart-to-heart," Daisy quipped. "And I was so looking forward to the drive home," she added.

Her father did a poor job of hiding his distain of Daisy's outburst. "It is a very sizable check," he didn't acknowledge his daughter's words at all. "It should be enough to cover her tuition and any medical expenses due to this…" he shook his head, unable to say the words. "If you need more, please contact me." The man turned to Daisy again.

"So, that's it?" Daisy wasn't sure whether to be relieved or upset. She felt a little of both.

"I've finally gotten my life back together, Daisy," her father replied. "I've stayed sober this past year; I've even met someone recently. All she knows is that you go to a private boarding school and that's all I plan to tell her," he relayed.

Daisy nodded. "Sounds like you've made up your mind."

Her father sighed, wishing he had some sort of words for her. But he'd never been able to relate to her, not since she was his little girl. "I'm doing this for you, Daisy. Because I just don't know what you need," he finished.

"Maybe that's because you've never cared enough to ask," she could tell he was hurting too but Daisy wouldn't budge an inch.

"Maybe not," the man sighed in resignation.

"Well, _dad_," Daisy had a sarcastic comment on the tip of her tongue but she stopped herself. She was tired of all of it. "I hope you stay sober, really I do," she spoke calmly. "And I hope she makes you happy, the way mom and I obviously never could."

Mr. Lipenowski looked like he wanted to say something more but he remained silent. "I really ought to be going," he gave his daughter a last look before fleeing the office.

The four of them all stood there for a long moment. "Daisy," Peter's voice broke the spell.

She turned to him. "Please, if you tell me everything is going to work out all right, I think I just might scream," Daisy let him know. "I just don't think my poor stomach can handle the hypocrisy of it all right now," she looked to Sophie. "I don't know what the two of you have brewing in that collective head of yours, perhaps a nice convent school where unwed girls go to have their babies in private? That's fine. But can I please just spend tonight in my own bed?" she asked.

"Of course," Sophie instantly replied. Peter nodded his head in agreement. "Shelby, will you…"

The blonde nodded her head and guided Daisy toward the office door. Daisy paused as Shelby opened the door. She turned back and caught Peter's eye. "Thank you for coming after us," her voice was a raw whisper. "Thank you for caring more than my own father."

xxx

The two girls stumbled into the dorm a few minutes later. They were surprised to find all the other cliffhangers there. Juliette was seated on her bed, Auggie sat on the floor just below her. Scott was on Shelby's bunk and David was standing against the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're back!" Juliette jumped up and hugged Shelby then Daisy. Both girls tried their best not to slap the perkiness off Juliette's face.

"What are you all doing here?" Shelby asked as she directed Daisy to her bunk. Daisy fell into a heap on her bed and Shelby sat beside her, helping remove her coat and shoes. Daisy closed her eyes and Juliette came over to sit on the other side of her bed across from Shelby.

"We were worried," Auggie replied, though he thought that should have been pretty self explanatory.

Scott got Shelby's attention and led her over to the other side of the room. "You okay?" he asked in a low voice. She nodded, glancing over at her friend again. "What about her?" Scott questioned, noticing that she looked pretty worried about Daisy. Shelby shook her head and gave him a quick hug before returning to Daisy's side.

"So, what's going on?" Auggie spoke up again. "I mean, why'd the two of you take off like that?"

Daisy groaned from her supine position. "Can we please save the group pow-wow for tomorrow? I feel like I could sleep for three days," she finished.

"Actually, you should eat something," Shelby rummaged through her pack and pulled out a granola bar. "You've hardly eaten anything all day."

"What is with you and food today?" Daisy turned away from the offered snack. "If I eat anything right now I'm going to puke it up all over you."

"Eww!" Jules shrieked, pulling her hand away from Daisy's shoulder.

Shelby rolled her eyes. "What's wrong, princess?" she asked. "I thought you'd be used to that."

"Hey," Scott stepped in. "I think we're all tired and stressed," he broke up what was brewing between the two head strong girls. "We'll get out of your hair." He leaned in and kissed Shelby on the forehead.

"Yeah, glad to see you back," Auggie said as he started to move toward the door.

"Uh," David shuffled his feet past Daisy's bed. "I hope you feel better, Daisy," he called to her as they were marching out.

Daisy raised her right hand and waved it haphazardly in the direction of their voices. It fell back to her side, slapping loudly against the bed. "So, why _did_ you guys run?" Juliette asked a few seconds after the boys had gone.

"We went to Seattle so that I could have an abortion," Daisy mumbled the words, sounding as if she were already half asleep.

Shelby looked surprised by the comment. "Fine, if you don't want to tell me the truth…" Juliette was hurt as she stood up and started to move away from the bed.

"Jules," Shelby stopped the girl. "That _is_ the truth," she said.

Juliette looked down at Daisy, eyes wide. As if sensing what was going on, Daisy opened her eyes and looked up. "I didn't," she whispered. Her eyes slipped shut again and a few seconds later the other two could hear her crying.

xxx

It was nearly two hours later when Sophie quietly entered the girl's dormitory. She and Peter had talked at great length about what to do for Daisy. They'd gone over almost every single option they could think of since the girls had left Peter's office. They'd come up with a few good possibilities but Sophie realized they could wait till morning.

She smiled when she found that only one of the beds in the dorm was occupied. Shelby and Juliette were curled up on either side of Daisy's bunk, their arms wrapped around the girl as if protective mothers of a newborn bear cub. A soft tug at her arm alerted Sophie of Peter's presence. He stood beside her and noticed the girls positioning as well.

"Should we move them back to their own bunks?" he asked.

Sophie shook her head. "Let them stay. I think they all need a friend right now," thoughts of Ezra's death were still so fresh in all of their minds. "We can talk to her tomorrow."

Peter nodded in agreement and guided his wife out, leaving the three girls to sleep.

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."  
-Anonymous_

_Part 6_

The cliffhangers were seated at their usual table in the cafeteria, eating breakfast. "So what's the big secret?" Scott asked when David sat down, making their group complete, aside from Daisy. "Why won't you say anything?" he directed his question toward Shelby, but they were all listening in intently.

Auggie glanced over at Juliette, who was to his right. She looked like she might know something as well. "Wasn't that Daisy's pop here yesterday?" he added to the questioning.

"Ha," Shelby scoffed. "I don't think he'll be winning any _Dad of the Year_ awards," she remarked. Shelby stabbed at her scrambled eggs with a fork but didn't take a bite.

"Same could be said for my dad," David commented before taking a drink of juice.

"Mine too," Scott joined in again. "So why was he here?"

"He came all the way up here to tell his daughter what a disappointment she was to him and that she can't go home, ever," Shelby stabled her eggs even harder. "Oh, and he left Peter a big fat check," she explained.

"That sounds pretty harsh," Auggie knew that he was lucky to have such good parents. He'd made his own bad luck by falling in with the same crowd as his brother. But he knew a lot of the Horizon kids had parents who just didn't care enough.

David shifted in his seat. "Was he drunk or something?" he asked. "I mean, I can't think of anything Daisy could possibly do to piss her old man off so badly. Unless he's a military Nazi like my dad."

Shelby sighed and dropped her fork. "I'm not going to lie to you guys, Daisy is in some pretty serious trouble and I'm not sure what Peter and Sophie are going to do about it. She might not be able to stay here at Horizon," she concluded, knowing that they'd all feel her loss, especially on top of Ezra's sudden death. But she knew she'd miss Daisy the most.

"Why wouldn't she be able to stay?" Auggie was confused. "You said her dad left some big check. What kind of trouble is she in, like she could go to jail or something?" he asked.

"No, it's…" Shelby shook her head. "It's really Daisy's place to tell you guys. But this and Ezra's death… it's all such a mess, a big one. She's really going to need our support."

Everyone looked up a second later as Peter and Sophie stopped in front of their table. A few good morning greeting were shared but other than that the mood was tense. Peter did a quick head count and frowned. "Where's Daisy?" he asked.

"Sleeping," Shelby replied, pushing her plate away all together.

Sophie shook her head. "We were just up at the dorm, she's not there," the woman informed them.

"Crap, Daisy," Shelby leapt from her chair. "Don't do this again," she mumbled as she pushed past Peter and Sophie.

The rest of the teenagers looked helpless. "What can we do?" Scott asked.

"Let's find her," Peter replied as he rattled off orders. "Jules, you search the library and the other classrooms. David, Auggie and Scott, split up and check the grounds. Soph and I will check the dorms again. Meet us back here in ten."

They all scattered.

xxx

Peter and Sophie stood in the middle of the outdoor courtyard, worried and not at all happy about Daisy's latest escapade. They'd never known the girl to be such a handful. Juliette found them first. "She's not at the library or in any of the classrooms, none of the teachers have seen her either," the girl reported.

Auggie and David came running to join them a few seconds later. "Man, there's no sign of her to the east or west," Auggie informed them.

"Look," Sophie caught their attention as she pointed behind them. They all turned to see Shelby and Scott practically frog marching Daisy toward their position.

"Found her down by the lake," Scott spoke as Daisy pulled away from he and Shelby's grip on her arms.

"I am allowed to go for a walk, aren't I?" Daisy asked.

"No!" Peter snapped. "Not after getting yourself all the way to Seattle yesterday, not to mention you had us all worried," he ended with a calmer tone.

Daisy looked around to see all of their heads nodding in agreement and she realized what a brat she'd been the last few days. Everything just seemed to be coming down on her hard. She'd forgotten to take a second to look around. If she'd done it earlier she would have found that her friends were there for her, ready to support in any way possible.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"We need to talk," Sophie placed a hand upon Daisy's shoulder.

"Can we talk out here?" Daisy asked. "The fresh air actually makes me feel a little less, you know," she waved her hands in the area of her stomach, not wanting to say the words just yet. Peter and Sophie understood. They nodded and Daisy started to follow them off toward the gazebo.

She stopped her footsteps and turned back to the group who was still gathered. "Since you're all here already, you might as well join us. You'll find out the big bad secret soon enough anyhow," she shrugged indifferently. Daisy was pleased when they all followed her and sat down with Peter and Sophie.

"We talked a lot last night about your options, Daisy," Peter began.

"Right, convent school it is then?" Daisy chirped with her usual degree of sarcasm.

Sophie shook her head. "No, we think we figured out a way for you to be able to stay at Horizon," she replied.

"Basically, Sophie and I apply to become your legal guardians… uh, foster parents," Peter explained. "Which I don't see being a problem given your father's attitude the other day. And that way you'd be covered under our medical insurance, not the schools. There'd be no liability issue with the school's insurance policy," he finished.

Daisy couldn't speak for a moment, she was too shocked. "You'd do that for me? Be foster parents and all that?" she finally asked, still not quite believing it.

"Of course," Sophie returned. "We care about what happens to you."

"I don't get it," Scott shook his head. "What's the big deal with insurance and all that stuff you just said?"

"Yeah," David jumped in. "You, uh, dying or something Daisy?" he tried to insert a small level of light-heartedness to the conversation. But he was actually concerned, more than he ever thought he'd be. It had taken him a long time to come around to the group, to let them in and even start to consider them friends.

Daisy made a face at the boy. "I'm sure you'd like that," she teased back. A serious look overcame her a second later. "Actually, I have something a little worse than a death sentence. I'm pregnant," she finally got the words out for all of them to know.

There was stunned silence from the boys for a moment. "Whoa, heavy," Auggie finally remarked, not sure what else to say. Daisy seemed the most unlikely of the group to have dropped that bombshell.

"You're gonna have a kid?" Scott asked. "_You're_ still a kid," he added.

"Thanks for the reminder," Daisy forced a smile. "Yes, I'm going to have a kid," the smile fell from her face and she tried to keep it together as the next words formed on her lips. "It's uh… it's Ezra's baby," the whisper escaped and a lone tear worked its way down her cheek. She swiped it away hoping no one would notice. "So," she slapped her hands against her knees. "That was all very therapeutic, don't we have class or something?" she tried to quickly change the subject.

"Yes, actually you do," Peter answered.

"If you think you're up for it," Sophie added, still worried about Daisy's state of mind.

"No, no… can't have any special treatment for the stupid girl who got herself pregnant. We all have our burdens to bear, our crosses to carry. If I'm going to stay, I need to do what I'm here for… to learn, to grow, to become a better person," Daisy's sing-song tone tried to cover her discomfort. "Can't be skipping classes," she concluded.

They all shuffled back toward the school and Daisy got up to follow. She stopped and turned back, facing Sophie and Peter. "I, uh, I just wanted to say thanks to you two. Thanks for being better parents than my real ones."

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Indifference creates an artificial peace."  
-Mason Cooley_

_Part 7_

"Hey sleepyhead," Shelby used her foot to nudge the mass of blankets on Daisy's bed.

"Go away," Daisy's voice arose from the tangle. Juliette grinned as she watched the scene from across the room. She was just glad that it wasn't her week to wake Daisy. For two months they'd been switching on and off because Daisy had been sleeping a whole lot more lately, which they all figured had to do with being pregnant.

"Come on, Dais," Shelby nudged her friend again. "We need to eat before class and it's already 7:30, get up!" she instructed.

Daisy pushed her covers down over the top half of her body and glared across the beds at Shelby. "You're worse than Jules at this waking up job. At least she gives me five extra minutes," the girl finally sat up. "It's not my fault that this alien inside me zaps all my strength." Daisy yawned as she grabbed some clean clothes. "I'm taking a shower."

"You don't have time for a shower," Shelby warned. "If you had gotten up the first time I called you maybe…"

Daisy wasn't listening, she simply strolled by Shelby and flashed an annoyed look her way as she ducked inside the bathroom. Juliette chuckled. "At least she's up," the teen smirked, pulling on her shoes. "Have fun, I gotta go meet Auggie for breakfast," she was out the door in a flash. Shelby had never seen the girl so egger to eat.

Shelby sat down on her bed and glanced at the clock. "Great, Dais," she sighed as the minutes ticked away. "This buddy system really sucks," she mumbled.

"I thought we were all supposed to be supportive?" Scott smiled at her as he entered the girl's dorm.

"Not when my stomach is growling and I have less than fifteen minutes to get to class," Shelby replied. But she was happy to see him.

Scott pulled something out from behind his back that he'd been holding. "Maybe this will help?" he offered her the napkin wrapped treat. "It's an egg sandwich with bacon, just the way you like," he grinned.

Shelby didn't know what she'd ever done to deserve such a wonderful guy in her life. She was eternally grateful for Scott's presence in her life over the past two years. "Thanks," she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "I know I shouldn't complain, it's just… she's so moody lately. All she does is complain about every little thing and all she wants to do is sleep. If this is what being pregnant is about, I'm never having kids."

"You don't want kids?" Scott asked.

She looked over at him. "Well, I don't know. I never really thought about it much until now," Shelby admitted. Daisy's situation had been getting her thinking a lot more. "I had pretty bad role models in the parent department. Don't know if I'd be any good at it," she lamented.

"I didn't have the best parents either," Scott replied, trying not to let his mind wander to thoughts of his step-mother. "Just because we had crap parents doesn't mean we'll be like them," he surmised. "You'd have cute kids," he added with a goofy grin.

"Yeah, we both would," Shelby replied without thinking about her words. She froze for a second, looking up at him. "I mean, uh, we as in us individually. Not that we'd be having kids together, I mean… you know," she lamely tried to cover.

Scott's smile grew wider. "You're cute when you do that, ramble all nervous like that," he couldn't wipe the grin off his face.

"Yeah, well, if I ever do have kids, it won't be for a very long time," Shelby concluded.

"Me either," Scott leaned in and stole another kiss, a much longer one.

Shelby broke the kiss off a few seconds later. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, her thoughts wandered to Ezra and Daisy. "I don't know what I'd do without you in my life."

Scott tapped her on the knee to get her attention. She sat up straight and noticed Daisy was standing in the doorway between the bathroom and the bunk area. She had on clean clothes and her hair was dripping wet. Her face wore one of the saddest expressions Shelby had ever seen before. "Morning, Dais," Scott greeted the other girl. He got up and moved toward the main door. "I'll see you both in class," he left them to it.

Daisy sighed as she tossed her dirty clothes in the hamper. She made her way over and sat on her bunk, grabbing shoes and gathering her books for class. Shelby felt slightly guilty as she broke her sandwich in half. "Here," she handed over one part of it to Daisy. "We'll eat and walk."

"Thanks," Daisy replied in a softer tone than was unusual for her.

"Look, I'm sorry about Scott being here and you know…" Shelby wasn't sure what to say.

"You don't have to apologize for being happy," Daisy shook her head. She decided to forgo eating and walking, devouring her breakfast in about three bites.

"Yeah, I know… it's just," Shelby faltered with the words again.

Daisy stood up abruptly. "I don't need your pity!" she snapped before storming out of the room without another word.

"Fine," Shelby reluctantly followed after her.

xxx

"How about a Halloween party?" Juliette got excited as the suggestion rolled off her tongue.

"Yeah, it is Daisy's favorite holiday," Auggie grinned at his girlfriend's idea. "We could get Sophie and Peter to rent us some scary movies and eat popcorn and just hang out," he added.

"Hmm," Shelby mused. "What sort of scary movies do you think they'd let us watch Aug? Nothing with alcohol, drugs, sex or gore," she rattled off their no-no list.

"So, _Lassie_ it is then," David joked.

"Well, we could at least ask," Juliette tried to get them all back on track with her original suggestion. "We need to do something to try and cheer Daisy up," it was the whole reason they were all gathered. "She's been so sad the last few months." It was true, Daisy had been feeling better physically but her emotional state was on edge most of the time. Even though she put on a good show for them, she wasn't coping very well at all.

"Well, any movies would be okay," Scott offered. "I mean, it's just about the hanging out stuff, right?"

Shelby smiled, again wondering how she'd gotten so lucky to be with him. "I agree," she nodded. "Everyone in?" Shelby looked around the table and watched all of their heads bob in agreement. "Let's take it to management then."

xxx

Daisy walked along the dimly lit path that led from the dormitories to the main lodge. Shelby and the others had somehow managed to rope Sophie and Peter into allowing them all to stay up late watching movies. The only catch was having Sophie and Peter stay up with them, but they'd agreed. Daisy wondered if they had gotten anything remotely scary to watch. She needed something to take her mind off of everything.

A shadow of movement caught her attention. She disregarded it, figuring the moonlight was playing tricks on her, but it happened again a second later. A shadow crossed over her path and she stopped to look over her shoulder. She froze at the sight that greeted her. "Ezra?" a chill ran up and down her spine.

His body stood there not three feet away from her, as if he'd never left. But she knew it wasn't real, couldn't be real. Her heart beat louder, echoing in her head. "_I need your help, Daisy,"_ his voice was a hallow whisper against the fall night air. "_Please,"_ he begged.

Just seeing him again broke her heart. She wanted so much for him to be real. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and feel the strength of his embrace. He'd always made her feel safe and welcome. Daisy had forgotten how complete he'd made her feel. "I've missed you so much," she couldn't stop herself from speaking to the ghost. "But you're not real," she closed her eyes for a second.

As she suspected he was nowhere to be seen when she re-opened her eyes. "Daisy?" she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard David calling out her name. She spun around to face him, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She'd never cried so much in her life as she had in the last few months. She blamed the hormones.

"Hey," Daisy greeted him, her mask of indifference firmly back in place.

"We were wondering if you were gonna show up," David had noticed the brief moment of sadness in her eyes. He also noticed how quickly she turned it off when anyone came close. He wished he knew better how to comfort her. "They nominated me to come find you. And here you are," he announced.

"Yes, here I am," Daisy replied as warmly as she knew how. She'd come to really care for David over the past year. For a very brief time she'd considered the possibility of them becoming closer than friends but Ezra had already stolen her heart. She'd just been too afraid to act on it at first.

"Yep, so I guess we should head to the lodge," he pointed over his shoulder, wishing their conversations weren't always so one dimensional.

"Lead the way," she instructed.

xxx

"I can't believe he leaves her in the end," Juliette had a tear in her eye as the movie credits rolled. She turned to Auggie who was trying not to laugh at how caught up she got in the stories. "Every time I see it I think maybe there'll be a different ending," she lamented.

Scott rolled his eyes at Juliette. "I can't believe we're spending Halloween night watching chick flicks." He glanced over his shoulder at Sophie and Peter who were snuggled up on the sofa. Daisy was at the other end of the sofa, the rest of them were sprawled out on the floor. "You guys really couldn't get us one good scary movie?" he asked.

"Yeah, if I have to watch another musical I think I might barf," David complained.

"I kind of have to agree," Shelby jumped in. "These movies are good for a rainy day but this is Halloween, we need something with a ghost or two," she pleaded her case.

As if the word ghost had triggered something, Ezra's voice filled Daisy's ears again. "_Daisy?"_ she glanced around the room. The conversation around her died as she spotted him in the far corner of the room. He looked to her with sad eyes. "_Please help me Daisy,"_ Ezra pleaded. She covered her ears, trying to block him out. It was all just her imagination. The other's voices around her grew loud again.

"Okay, okay," Peter grinned. "We did decide that maybe it would be alright for you all to watch one scary movie," he relented as he pulled a DVD out from beneath the cushion he'd been sitting on. Scott snatched it out of his hand before the man had time to renege.

"Texas Chainsaw Massacre?" he read the cover. "No way."

"Oh man, that is the ultimate classic horror flick," Auggie grinned. "Way to go Peter," he gave their counselor props for coming through.

Sophie frowned, not knowing that Peter had planned the movie. "Are you sure about that? It's pretty violent," she pointed to the DVD that the boys were already inserting into the player.

"It _is_ a classic, and the kids know it's just a movie" Peter replied, motioning her to come closer. "Feel free to cling to me all you want," he whispered in her ear. She slapped him across the arm as she glanced over at Daisy.

The girl stood up at that moment. She was still trying to get rid of the image of Ezra that kept following her, as well as his voice. "I'm going to bed," she announced.

"What?" Juliette looked disappointed. "But we finally got the good one out of Peter."

"Yeah, Dais," David joined in. "Chainsaws, blood and guts. A true classic right up your alley," he grinned.

"I'm tired," Daisy shook her head at him, sorry to disappoint them all. "You can tell me how it turns out in the morning," she added.

Shelby jumped up. "I'll walk you back to the dorm," she offered.

"No, stay," Daisy insisted as she looked over and saw the look on Scott's face. "Don't let me ruin your fun," she nudged Shelby back toward him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. I'm just going to go pass out. Maybe you'll all be so tired in the morning from your movie that you'll actually let me sleep in," Daisy pulled on a smile for them, hoping they'd get the idea and let her go.

"Okay," Shelby returned to her seat. A chorus of good night's followed as Daisy headed to the door. She paused for a moment and looked around the large room. There was no sign of Ezra anywhere.

Daisy made her way back to the girl's dorm without incident. Only the moonlight followed her. She figured it had just been too much of a day for her with classes and movie night and still feeling like the thing inside her belly was eating up all her energy. She'd tried not to think too much on the baby that she was carrying. She still hadn't talked to Peter and Sophie about the future and what was going to happen when the kid was actually born.

She wondered if seeing Ezra again had something to do with her sudden thoughts about the baby. Until now it had just been an upset stomach, a reason to eat a lot more and a constant energy zapper. But as she ran a hand along her expanding belly, the realization that there was a real live person in there scared her more than she cared to admit.

Daisy settled down into the bed and closed her eyes. Both hands unconsciously rested on her stomach as she tried to quiet her mind enough to allow sleep to come. She was just about there when the oddest sensation occurred. It was a soft flutter of movement from inside. Daisy didn't realize what it was at first. She laid perfectly still hoping it would happen again. It did a few seconds later.

The baby's first movement brought tears to her eyes again, even after she thought for sure she was all dried up in that regard. She looked around the dark room, actually wishing she'd see Ezra again. There was only one person she wanted to share that moment with. And he was gone.

Her hands fell to the side, not wanting to risk feeling the baby again. It hurt too much.

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."  
-Meister Eckhart_

_Part 8_

The cliffhangers were standing in a circle at the main lodge. Peter and Sophie stood at one end of the group. "Okay, last thing before we break for Thanksgiving weekend… finish the following statement: What I'm grateful for most this year is…" Peter tossed the large stick to Auggie and the boy caught it in his right hand.

"For reading my first short novel all the way through," he grinned. "And for Jules," the teen added as he passed the stick to his girlfriend.

She smiled at his comment, thankful again for having him in her life. He'd helped so much to change her outer image of herself. Her mother's words no longer held the power over her that they once did. "I'm thankful that my mom is still married to Hal and that he's really nice to me," Juliette turned to Auggie. "And I'm grateful for Auggie," she added.

The stick was given to Shelby, "I'm thankful that he's still behind bars," there was no need to explain the _he_ in her statement. There were very few secrets in the close-knit group. They all pretty much knew each others stories. "And that I have Scott," she quickly added as she tossed her boyfriend the stick.

"I'm sensing a trend here," Sophie smirked as she whispered to her husband.

"I'm thankful for being able to spend the holidays with my mom this year and more time in general with her." Scott spoke as he glanced over at Shelby. "And for Shelby, always," he concluded, passing the baton off to David.

The tall dark-haired boy thumbed the smooth wood staff. "Well, I'm just happy that we get four days away from this place," he joked.

"David," Peter warned.

"Right," David reluctantly gave in to the exercise. "I'm grateful that the old man has actually mellowed a little," he finished, throwing the stick toward Daisy.

The wooden staff fell to the floor with a loud clatter, landing at Daisy's feet. She stared down at it for a moment but didn't make any sort of move to pick it up. Peter walked over to her and plucked the item up off the floor. He stood in front of her and held the stick out. "Come on, Daisy. You know the rules, everyone participates." He stuck the staff in her hand.

"Fine, I'm thankful for nothing," she promptly handed the stick back to Peter.

"Daisy," he put on his warning tone again.

"What?!" she shot back at him with exasperation. Her eyes were dark and narrow as she dared him to keep at her. "You want me to say that I'm thankful Ezra is dead? I'm grateful that he left me pregnant and alone? Or, perhaps I should mention how happy I am that my one and only parent abandoned me when I screwed up again," she sighed, shaking her head and shoving the stick into his hand. "How was that?"

Peter sighed. It had been a long time since he'd gotten such attitude from Daisy. For the last few months she'd been moody and down but now she just seemed pissed off again. He thought they'd worked past most of it, but he realized it was time for some tough love.

"Actually I was hoping for something more along the lines of you being thankful for all the support your friends have shown these last few months. And maybe I was thinking you could be grateful for Sophie and I taking you in and allowing you to stay here. That's all just off the top of my head," Peter walked away with stick in hand.

Daisy had been keeping to herself as much as possible. She'd taken to locking up her emotions again and pulling on whatever masks she could find. Ezra's voice still haunted her at times and she didn't know why. What she really wanted was for someone to hurt as much as she was. "Well I never asked you for your help, none of you!" she shouted back angrily.

"No," Sophie stepped forward. She was trying to remain calm for Peter's sake but she was ready for a fight too. "You didn't ask, but that's what family and friends do, Daisy. They give without being asked," she tried to get through to the stubborn teen.

"Whatever," Daisy started to walk away but David stepped forward, hoping to stop her.

"Don't go yet," he wanted to help more than anything but he still wasn't sure how.

"_Listen to him, Daisy. You need their help. Let them help you so you can help me," _it was Ezra's voice she heard as David placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "_Please, you have to help me."_

"No!" she shouted. "You didn't want my help before, just leave me alone!" Daisy spun around and shoved David away from her as hard as she could. "Go away," she watched as he fell backward and landed on his butt. Daisy realized instantly the mistake she'd made and fled the room before anyone else could try to stop her.

Scott gave David a hand up. "What the hell was that? I was just trying to help," he glanced around at the others who all looked just as confused as he was.

"David, Language," Sophie admonished, though she was wondering the same thing. "I thought she was getting better," she directed her words to Peter.

He nodded. "I thought so too," Peter looked to the others. "Any of you noticed Daisy acting differently lately?" he asked, knowing she had certainly managed to fool him and Sophie. He just wished she would have come to them if something was bothering her.

"She eats everything not nailed down," Scott replied. "That's different than a few months ago when she was puking everything up," he added.

Sophie nearly chuckled at the boy's comment. "That's just a matter of her getting over morning sickness," she explained.

"It was more like morning, noon and night sickness," David returned.

"Yeah man, glad I'm a guy," Auggie added. Juliette jabbed him in the ribs for the comment but they shared a smile.

Peter tried to get them all back on track. He understood they were all getting ready to leave that afternoon and were restless, but he really needed to know if there was anything seriously wrong with Daisy. "Girls, you room with her, anything else?" he asked.

Shelby shuffled her feet, dropping her head. "Well, there is…" she stopped herself, not wanting to blab Daisy's business to everyone. But she had been worried too and Daisy was even pulling away from her. "She's been having some bad dreams lately."

"More like nightmares," Juliette added, glad Shelby had brought up the subject to save her from being a snitch.

"What sort of dreams?" Sophie asked. "Why didn't either of you say anything before now?"

Juliette shrugged. "I just hear her some nights, moaning like she's in pain or something," the girl explained. "But I'm across the room. Shelby sleeps closer," she looked to the other girl.

"I tried to ask her about it once but she brushed me off," Shelby relayed. "The princess is right; she moans stuff, talks in her sleep. I heard her one night, she was talking to Ezra. Telling him to leave her alone mostly, go away. Kind of the same thing she just said to David before she pushed him."

Sophie and Peter shared a concerned look. "Okay gang," Peter ended their session. "Your parents will be here soon, go get your stuff and have a good weekend," he dismissed them.

Shelby stayed behind after the others had filtered out. "Maybe I could stay this weekend, you know, keep Daisy company," she suggested.

"That's a nice offer Shelby but you know you can't stay here when Peter and I are gone," Sophie knew the girl was just as concerned about Daisy as they were.

"Daisy's staying," Shelby protested.

"But Kat will be here with her," Peter replied.

"So why can't I stay too? Kat can keep us both in line," the girl persisted.

Peter shook his head. "Daisy has nowhere else to go, she's under our guardianship. Sorry, Shelby. You need to spend time with your mom and Jesse," Peter replied. "Now get going," he instructed.

They watched as the girl reluctantly left the room. "Maybe Shelby is right," Sophie turned to her husband. "I'm worried about Daisy. Maybe we shouldn't go skiing this weekend," she proposed.

"Don't let Shelby get to you," Peter knew how sensitive his wife could be to the teenagers manipulations. "Kat will be here," he reminded her.

"What does that mean?" Sophie eyed her husband suspiciously. "You have a plan?"

"No plan. It just means that Daisy isn't opening up to any of us right now. Maybe she'll talk to Kat because she's more distant from all this than we are. If anyone can get her to talk it'll be Kat. She and Ezra were the first cliffhangers in this group. They were close," he explained. "I don't know, I'm kind of at a loss here," he finally admitted to his wife.

Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're right, Kat will be good for her," she leaned in and kissed him. "And we could both really use this break," she whispered in between kisses.

xxx

The fire was going in the lodge and Kat had her books scattered all over the coffee table. Finals were coming up faster than she cared for. She was seated on the floor, her eyes skimming the notes in one book and her right hand jotting down more notes. She looked up as Daisy entered the room. It had been a long time since she'd seen the girl and so much had happened since then.

Daisy wore sweat pants and a t-shirt that was looking a little too small. It stretched over the growing bulge of her belly. Kat smiled up at her as Daisy placed a plate of cookies on the table. Daisy grabbed a couple and sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs by the fire. "What's it like?" Kat put her pen down for a moment.

She finished off one cookie and looked over at her friend. "What's what like?" Daisy asked.

"You know," Kat waved a hand at her stomach. "Being pregnant," she clarified.

"Annoying," Daisy looked away and stared into the fire. "I know Sophie and Peter asked you to be here but I don't need a babysitter. I'm not going to run away. I don't have anywhere to go," Daisy finished.

Kat sighed. She should have known it wouldn't be so easy to get Daisy talking. They'd never been very close during their time together at Horizon. But Kat was persistent if nothing else. "I know it must be hard thinking about Ezra and being pregnant and all…"

"Don't!" Daisy jumped up from her seat. "I don't want to talk about Ezra, not to you or anyone. Ezra made his decision, he gave up. He left me, just like everyone else has in my life." She made her way to the front door.

"Daisy, I'm sorry," Kat apologized. "We don't have to talk about him, or anything. When I'm done studying for tonight why don't we watch movies and eat all the cookies," she suggested in a lighter tone of voice.

The teenager thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, maybe," Daisy was non-committal. "I'm going for a walk right now," she left the building.

Kat turned back to her books, sighing. The direct approach clearly hadn't worked so well.

xxx

Daisy was feeling a little better after her walk. She'd gone down to the lake which was always one of her favorite places to sit and think. Although, she hadn't been too fond of her own thoughts lately. They always turned to Ezra and that just worked her up into feeling lousy all over again. His voice and his image were still haunting her dreams and even her waking hours at times. It was all so confusing.

She was also carrying around the burden of what to do about her baby when it was born. Some days she thought she could make a go of it all on her own, raise the baby and do school, the whole bit. Other days she couldn't imagine having a baby. She didn't know anything about being a mother. She'd had a pretty terrible excuse for one herself. It was too much to try and figure out.

The sun was starting to set as she headed back to campus. As she neared the main grounds she stopped as she spotted Kat out near the driveway entrance. She was talking to two people, a man and a woman who looked very familiar. A second later it dawned on her exactly who they were and she felt everything shift again. This time to an overwhelming fear.

"Daisy," Kat greeted her as she walked over to join them. "I asked them to leave but they insisted."

"Why are you here?" Daisy looked to Ezra's parents for an answer.

"We just wanted to talk to you Daisy," his mother spoke first. "We, uh, Peter informed us about your situation. He thought as Ezra's parents we had a right to know about the baby," she continued.

"You won't touch this baby," Daisy backed away from them a step. "I won't let you destroy this child the way you did Ezra," she warned.

Ezra's father put his hands up. "We don't want to hurt you, Daisy. We've already done enough of that. Ezra, he… you're right to hate us for what happened to him. It was our fighting, our hatred that pushed him over the edge. And we live with that every day," his voice broke. He looked away, ashamed.

"And I live without him," Daisy responded.

Kat felt her heart breaking as she watched Daisy try to stay strong. The broken tone of both their voices was enough to melt the coldest of hearts. She watched as Ezra's mother held a bag out to Daisy. "We just wanted to see you and for you to have this. Whatever you decide as far as the baby is concerned, we thought maybe some day he or she would like to see what's in there," she waited, hoping the girl would take the offering.

"A part of their father," Ezra's dad added.

Daisy hesitantly held her hand out and took the bag. The handles were grasped firmly in her hand as she watched Ezra's parents climb back into their car and drive away. Her mind flashed back to the last time she'd seen Ezra. He'd been in the back seat of that very same car and he'd called out to her about lucky socks.

A tear fell down her cheek, followed by another. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there when she felt Kat wrap her arms around her and guide her back to the lodge.

xxx

Kat made a simple meal that night and the two girls ate in silence. She let Daisy be by herself for a while as she cleaned up in the kitchen. When she came back to the main room, the fire was glowing brightly again and Daisy was curled up on the sofa. There was a large photo album in her lap and another laying beside her. Both were open.

"You alright?" Kat asked as she sat down beside her friend. Daisy turned her head and shook it. "Right, silly question," Kat admitted.

"Pictures," Daisy's voice was softer than Kat ever recalled hearing. There was no bitterness in her tone, no biting remark or witty sarcasm. "What they left me, pictures of Ezra when he was a baby," she explained.

"Oh," Kat felt the tears well up in her own eyes as she glanced over Daisy's shoulder. "He was so sweet," she noticed one pictures of a baby boy in the bath tub. "Look at that hair, so curly even then," she noticed.

Daisy nodded. She reached over and grabbed the other album. Kat noticed it was filled with pictures of a little girl and her two parents. She figured it was Daisy and her family. Daisy pulled one of her baby photos out and placed it next to Ezra's. "I wonder what this baby will look like," she whispered, rubbing a hand over her belly.

"If it's half as cute as the two of you, it will be really ugly," Kat joked. She was pleased to hear a spark of laughter from Daisy. It faded too quickly as the girl lost herself in tears. She was so sick of crying.

"I just wish he was here, Kat," Daisy cried as she ran a hand over baby Ezra's face. "I miss him so much," it was the first time she'd let anyone hear those words.

Kat nodded, pulling her friend closer. "I know," she soothed, recalling how alone she'd felt after her sisters death. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but it will get easier. It will," she assured. "I remember, not long before you came to Horizon, we were returning from a hike and Ezra fell into the river. I was the one who actually pulled him out, but I was so scared that day. He was the first friend I'd made here and I didn't want to lose him," she recalled. "I miss him too," she cried.

For the first time, Daisy realized that she wasn't the only one who was grieving Ezra's loss. "Thank you, Kat," she whispered to her friend as they sat huddled together on the sofa.

A few minutes later Daisy felt something that actually brought a smile to her face. She glanced over at Kat. "I lied before," she admitted, taking her friends hand in hers. She guided Kat's hand and placed it against her stomach. "Being pregnant isn't just annoying," Daisy said as they both felt the tiny kick of the baby inside her.

"That's incredible," Kat whispered.

"Yeah, it is," Daisy agreed. "Thank you for being here to share it with me, Kat."

_To be continued…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"The fearless are merely fearless. People who act in spite of their fear are truly brave."  
-James A. LaFond-Lewis_

_Part 9_

Kat carried her bags out to the car and shoved them in the back seat. She stood there and watched as Sophie and Peter came driving up in the same old truck they'd had for years at Horizon. The young woman was happy to see smiling faces as they exited the vehicle. "Looks like skiing did the two of you some good," she commented.

Peter held his wife's hand as they walked around the truck and greeted Kat. "Yep, and I beat her down the mountain three out of four times," he grinned.

"But who's counting," Sophie smiled, knowing she'd never be able to eliminate her husband's competitive nature, not that she really wanted to. "So," she eased the conversation away from skiing. "How did things go here?" she asked.

"Things went well actually," Kat replied with a small nod. "We talked, we cried, we ate way too many cookies," she chuckled.

"Daisy really talked to you?" Peter had hoped but he had to admit he was a little surprised after the blow up before they'd left. "Did she talk about Ezra at all?"

"Not much," Kat revealed. "Just that she misses him," the girl paused, not sure how to broach the next part of what had happened. "Um, you should know that Ezra's parents were up here," she decided to just tell them straight out.

Peter sighed. "I told them about Daisy, I really didn't think they'd do anything, especially not show up here unexpected," he felt somewhat guilty, figuring Daisy wouldn't be too happy with him.

"Yeah, well Daisy was on guard. I think she kind of thought they might try to make a case for taking the baby from her," Kat explained.

"Poor Daisy," Sophie knew that was the last kind of pressure the teen needed. Though they did all need to discuss what was going to happen with the baby at some point. "Did she talk to them at all?"

"Not really. They left her a photo album with some pictures of Ezra when he was little. They were actually very civil, apologetic even, and they took off right after that," Kat concluded. "Daisy's a lot stronger than we give her credit for. This has all been pretty hard on her, but I think she's slowly starting to realize she can't do it all alone," the young woman concluded.

Peter hugged Kat. "You are something," he kissed her on the forehead.

"Well, I'm going to be late if I don't hit the road now. College professors aren't as easy on us as you all were," Kat joked. She hugged Sophie good-bye and took off for the three hour drive back to school.

Sophie and Peter walked toward the school in search of Daisy and the other cliffhangers.

xxx

Everyone was seated in the cafeteria, catching up on the last four days of each others lives. They talked about their family gatherings and distant aunts and uncles coming to visit. They chatted about Turkey dinners and pumpkin pie. Daisy listened to bits and pieces of their conversations but no one was talking to her and she couldn't really blame them, not after how she'd treated them before they left.

Peter and Sophie entered the room a few moments later. Peter hefted a large cardboard box into one of the tables and set it down in front of them. "Hope you all had a nice weekend," he said, looking around at their relaxed faces. "Now it's time to get back into the swing of things. Sophie and I have a real fun project for you," no one liked the way he used the word fun.

"Aww man, Peter's idea of fun is a week in the woods building fires from twigs," Scott lamented. There were other similar moans.

Sophie was about to break up their mumble fest when Daisy stood up abruptly. "Can I say something first?" she looked to Peter. He nodded, allowing her to continue. She turned to her friends. "I just want to say, sorry," she forced the word out. It wasn't easy for her to admit that she'd been pretty rude to all of them. "The things I said before, well, I meant them. I haven't a very good year but that doesn't mean I have to take it out on all of you. You guys have been better friends than I deserve."

"Friends stand by each other, no matter what," Shelby was the first to respond to Daisy's apology. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her dear friend. "We just want to help you through this, Dais," she whispered.

"Yeah, Daisy," Juliette spoke up. "We care about you," she joined in the hug.

Auggie moved in too. "We're here for you," he added.

Scott and David both felt a little awkward with the group hug situation. Scott patted her on the back after the others had cleared away some. "It will be okay," he felt the words weren't much but it's all that would come.

Everyone had settled back in their seats except for Daisy and David. They stood there for a few moments, eyeing one another. "About the way I pushed you," Daisy tried to explain but knew she couldn't mention having seen or heard Ezra. "I'm sorry," she simple told him, hoping that it was enough.

David stood there unmoving for a long second. Nobody was sure what to make of him. "You're really strong you know," he finally replied, rubbing his backside. "Four days later and I'm still feeling it," he teased her. They all noticed the big grin that erupted on Daisy's face. It had been a long time since any of them had seen that.

"Okay," Sophie took the relaxed opening to continue with their assignment briefing. "For the next twenty four hours, all of you are pregnant," she announced as they watched Peter pull some strange looking items from the box they'd brought. Sophie grabbed one. "Auggie, come on up here," she waved him forward.

"This is what they call a sympathy belly," Peter explained as Sophie strapped the thing around Auggie's waist, clasping the Velcro straps around his lower back. "It's used mostly so that woman can share the joy of being pregnant with their ignorant husbands," he further explained. "Weight is approximately seven and a half pounds, which is the average weight of a newborn baby."

"This is whacked," Auggie tried to adjust the contraption to a more comfortable position. "Didn't we already have egg babies?" he complained.

"That lesson was more about parenting," Peter spoke as he fitted Juliette with one of the fake bellies. "This exercise is about sex and the responsibility that comes with it."

"Uh, you do know we had sex ed in like, the fifth grade," David jumped in, staying at the back of the group. "We do know where babies come from," he added, looking around to the others. "Don't we?"

Daisy grinned at the group as she sat back in her chair and watched. "I'm not really too clear on the subject myself," she replied, rubbing a hand over her stomach.

Sophie shot the girl a disappointed look and Daisy lost her smile. Shelby and Scott now had their bellies on as well. "Come on David, you don't do this and an F goes on your grade sheet," she motioned him forward.

"Why do I get the feeling this is your fault," David glared at Daisy as he went to Sophie. All of their earlier amiable interaction was suddenly lost.

Peter put a hand on Daisy's shoulder. "This lesson is no ones fault," he spoke to the group. "But something happened on school grounds last spring that we have yet to discuss properly," he let them all know how serious the assignment was.

"Um, that's sort of a private matter don't you think," Shelby responded, noticing the look of discomfort on Daisy's face.

"Privacy goes out the window when you break the rules around here," Peter explained. "Now, can anyone tell me when a person is ready to have sex?"

"What, you mean like age?" Auggie asked.

"No," Peter shook his head, looking around at the teens. "I was thinking more along the lines of what you think is a bench mark for being ready to have sex," he further explained. "On a more emotional level."

"Love," Juliette replied.

"Says the hopeless romantic," Shelby teased the other girl.

"_Hopeful_ romantic," Jules shot back with a proud grin.

Sophie stepped in. "Love is good, Juliette," she assured the girl. "But do you think that's enough?" she asked.

The girl shrugged. Scott felt slightly uncomfortable with the whole conversation, so did Shelby which was why she kept trying to get under Juliette's skin. David was walking around like an idiot stroking his pregnant belly. Auggie thought about the first time he'd been with a girl, one of his brother's gang. They'd both been pretty young.

"What about repercussions?" Peter brought them back around. "Do you think you should have sex before considering all the possible outcomes of that situation?" he looked to Daisy who felt a little like she was on trial.

"We used a condom," she was brutally honest, defending her actions.

"Eww," Jules scrunched up her nose.

"Oh, grow up," Shelby rolled her eyes at the princess.

"Both of you knock it off or you'll be wearing those things for two days instead of one," Sophie threatened the girls. She sat down beside Daisy. "That was very responsible of both of you," she assured the teen. "But did you think about other things, like if it were to break or fail in some way?" Sophie questioned.

"Which it obviously did," David quipped from across the room.

Daisy shook her head. "No, I guess not. We just…" Sophie patted the girl's hand, not wishing to upset her any more than she was. The purpose of their exercise was just to make them all more aware of the actions and the impact that sex had on a relationship.

"There are so many things to consider when faced with the decision to have sex or not," Peter stepped in again. "If you're emotionally ready to handle it, if you are in love or not, using proper protection and not just to stop an unwanted pregnancy but also to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases," he rattled off a whole long list.

"Sex is a major responsibility. So is having a baby," Sophie looked around the room. "There will be no written papers for this assignment. All we require is that you keep the bellies on for twenty four hours and find out what one of the results of sex is really like. There will be a discussion tomorrow and everyone is expected to share their feelings on the topic."

They all gathered their stuff ready to leave. "One last thing," Peter stopped them. "The bellies stay on at all times, even as you sleep tonight. If we hear about anyone removing theirs for any reason, Daisy gets to decide their punishment," he concluded.

Daisy grinned almost evilly.

xxx

"This is insane," David complained as the guys were all laying in their beds, lights out had been a half hour ago. "How am I meant to sleep like this," he was tossing loudly and complaining verbally as well. A pair of balled up socks went sailing across the room and beamed him in the head.

"Shut up," Scott bellowed from across the room.

"Fine," David settled down. A few minutes later there was a loud sound of Velcro being undone and an even louder thud of something falling to the ground beside David's bunk. They all knew exactly what it was from.

Auggie chuckled from his bunk. "I can't wait to find out what sort of punishment Daisy thinks up for you," he commented in the wake of David's decision to remove the fake belly.

"Daisy ain't gonna find out I took that off because it will be back on in the morning before anyone will even know," David surmised. He curled up and drifted off in a matter of seconds.

Scott sat up a little in his bed and looked across the way to Auggie's bunk. They shared a silent look in the dim light and nodded in agreement.

xxx

David rolled over the next morning, stretching his arms above his head and yawning as he opened his eyes. "Holy shit!" he nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw Daisy standing there beside his bed, leaning over him.

"Good morning," she cheerfully smiled down at him.

"Daisy, what are you doing in here?" David instantly remembered taking off his sympathy belly the night before and now he tried desperately to spot it on the floor without her noticing.

"Looking for this?" Daisy asked as she produced the item from behind her back. Her smile widened.

Laughter filled the room and David looked over to see Scott, Auggie, Juliette and Shelby all watching the scene with gleeful faces. They all patted their bellies, firmly in place around their waists. "You all are dead," he growled at them. "Dead."

xxx

"So, I hear that someone removed their belly," Sophie walked into the classroom closely followed by a smiling Peter. They both moved to the front of the room and leaned against the old wood desk in the center of the space. Their eyes scanned the room and finally came to settle on an uncomfortable looking David who was squirming a bit in his seat.

"Yeah, whatever," the boy replied, trying to look cool. "I already know enough to be responsibly when I have sex. I always use condoms and the ladies have had no complaints," he boasted with a cocky grin.

"You're a real ass," Scott wasn't impressed by the other boys flip behavior.

"You want to go?" David stood up and got in Scott's face.

Peter moved across the room quickly and stepped between them. "We've gotten off track here. Sit," he instructed them both. "Now, does anyone else have anything to add to this discussion?" he looked around. "Anything constructive?"

"This thing cut into my gut," Auggie spoke up as he patted the belly draped over his desk. "It chafed. It got heavier every step I took," he continued. "And after twenty four hours I was glad to be rid of it. That's when I realized, if you're pregnant, you don't get to take it off," Auggie noted.

"And I'm sure that thing," Daisy pointed to the belly on Auggie's desktop. "Doesn't dance across your bladder at two o'clock in the morning," she finished.

"Nice image there, Dais," Shelby scrunched up her nose.

"Scott, you have anything to add to Auggie's revelation?" Peter asked, hoping to get them all involved for more of a discussion. It was important for them to understand the responsibility of growing up.

The teenager reluctantly spoke up, knowing he needed to keep his grades up even if he was a little uncomfortable with the subject. "Yeah, you really need to be ready for the responsibility of having a kid if you even think about sex," he concluded.

"True," Peter nodded, pleased with the answer. He looked around. "Anyone else?"

"Yes," David joined in, standing up and moving to the front of the class. He stood with hands on his hips. "I'd just like to say that sex is bad and we'll never ever do anything you don't want us to again," he joked.

"David, don't push it," Sophie warned, shoving him back toward his seat.

"What is wrong with you?" Daisy confronted the boy as he walked by her.

He shook his head at her. "Nothing, I'm not the one who got herself pregnant and brought on all this stupid lesson crap," David returned.

Daisy stood and faced him. "You know what, you're right," she replied. "I screwed up. But you know what else? I loved Ezra," she managed to say the words without a tear falling. "I loved him and he loved me and sometimes when you love someone, consequences don't even enter your mind. Have you ever taken a risk like that, David? Have you ever put your heart on the line?" she put him on the spot.

David tried to look away, feeling caught. She continued.

"I did get pregnant and that wasn't planned and I have no idea what to do with a baby," Daisy admitted. "I grew up with two alcoholic parents. They ignored me mostly; sometimes they'd drive me to school completely smashed. Some nights my father liked to slap me around after having a few too many. And I wonder if that behavior is locked inside me somewhere. I wonder if I have any right bringing a child into that possibility. That scares me…" she confessed. "That scares the crap out of me. But I'm going to do right by this kid, whatever that ends up being."

The room was quiet for a moment as they all felt Daisy's pain, David more so than any of them. He mentally kicked himself for being such a jerk to her. Finally he looked her in the eye.

"Look, I… I joked around here and didn't take this serious. I never take anything serious," David had a feeling they all knew that. "I've never had sex," he admitted the truth as bold as could be. "Because I've never met a girl who I could let myself get close enough to." He looked to Daisy. "You and Ezra… I was jealous of that and I know how stupid that was because the two of you were," he couldn't find the right words to finish the thought. "I don't know what I'm saying here. I'm just saying sorry. What you're doing, having this baby. That takes courage I don't have."

David and Daisy stood there for a long moment, neither of them sure what to do or say. A second later they were hugging. Sophie and Peter couldn't ever remember being more impressed by their kid's actions than they were at that very moment.

Daisy leaned in and whispered her punishment demand in his ear. Then she pulled out of their embrace. "What? Are you serious?" he looked down at her and she nodded her head. "I don't even know how I'd get… is that really a punishment?" he looked to Peter for an answer.

"You know what, I don't want to know what it is," Peter put his hands up. "I'm going to allow Daisy to use her discretion here. What ever it is she said, goes," he informed the boy.

"Great," David lamented.

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Guilt is the source of sorrows, the avenging fiend that follows us behind with whips and stings."  
-Nicholas Rowe_

_Part 10_

Shelby grabbed a hold of Scott to stop her self from falling as she tripped over something she couldn't see. "What are we doing stumbling around in the dark here?" she asked him, trying to figure out why it was so dark in the lodge. "I thought you said Sophie called a group meeting," she squinted, trying to make out some sort of objects in the room.

Two seconds later the lights came on and a chorus of people yelled out, "Surprise!"

Peter and Sophie were standing there beside her, smiling. "Happy Birthday, Shelby," they each gave her a hug. More embraces and Birthday wishes came from the other cliffhangers, Juliette and Auggie. Even David managed an awkward hug. She finally turned to Scott who was grinning broadly, happy when ever she was happy.

She shook her head at him. "You're not tricky enough to pull this off," Shelby informed him.

"I think I'm hurt," Scott put a hand to his chest in a melodramatic stance. "I did manage to get you all the way here without you suspecting a thing, I think that should get me some credit," he batted his eyes at her and she rewarded him with a kiss, only after checking to see that Peter and Sophie's eyes were diverted elsewhere.

They pulled away and Shelby spotted Daisy watching them. She pointed a finger at her friend. "This has you written all over it," she made her words sound accusing.

"Guilty," Daisy quipped, cocking her head to one side with an impish grin. "You're always complaining about how your birthday falls five days before Christmas and how you never had a real party growing up. So, this is the best I could do," the girl wished it where more after all Shelby had done for.

"It's perfect," Shelby hugged her dear friend, a task that was growing harder as Daisy's belly kept expanding.

They pulled apart. "You'll be happy to know that Peter sprung for a real cake this time." Both girls laughed, recalling their not so pleasant experience of cake baking with Peter. "So, how does it feel to be an adult?" Daisy asked. "First one of us to turn eighteen," she nudged the girl.

"I don't feel any wiser," Shelby replied.

Daisy chuckled. "Yeah, well whoever said wisdom comes with age was foolish," she replied. "The only thing that comes with age are wrinkles and gray hairs," the girl made a show of searching Shelby's blond hair.

"You're in a good mood," Shelby grinned, happy to see her friend looking so chipper.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Daisy shrugged.

xxx

The party was in full swing. Peter and Sophie had even agreed to some dancing, so Scott and Shelby were taking full advantage of the luxury, as were Auggie and Juliette. Even Peter and Sophie were allowing themselves to relax a little and have fun on the dance floor. The holiday break started the next day so they weren't terribly concerned about the late hour.

Daisy wandered out to the front porch of the lodge. She stood there by the railing and watched the stars. It was a clear winter night, chilly but not so cold that it unbearable. The forecast was for a rather mild winter all around.

"Winter solstice," David's voice caught her attention.

She turned to see that he was standing by the open door with a small box in one hand. "What was that?" she asked.

"December 21st, Winter solstice, the shortest day of the year or the longest night of the year… however you want to look at it." He moved toward her, joining her by the railing. "A lot of cultures view it as a time for renewal and rebirth. Sort of like baby Jesus and the whole Christmas celebration," he explained.

"Renewal huh?" Daisy nodded. "I hope that's true."

David moved in even closer so that he was standing right beside her. He held out the box that was in his hand. "I always fulfill my promises," he told her. "Or in this case, fulfill my punishment," a smile curled his lips.

Daisy eyed him skeptically; a smiling David was a rare occasion. She took the box and opened it slowly. Her eyes grew wider as she spied the contents. "You managed to get them," she remarked. "I'm impressed," she took one of the fresh ripe strawberries and bit into it, savoring its delicate flavor on her tongue. Daisy held the box out. "Want one?" she offered.

"Nope," David shook his head. "Those are all yours. Hard to believe this place feeds us nearly every type of vegetable known to man yet they can't even get us decent, un-canned, fruit," he noted. "I hope you know I had to sell my soul for those."

"Thanks," Daisy smiled.

He shuffled his feet a moment or two then turned to her again. "Look, Daisy… I'm sorry about the other day, the things I said," David was still feeling guilty for his behavior.

"You already apologized for all that," Daisy easily replied as she ate another strawberry. It was the one thing she'd really been craving through the last few months of her pregnancy. She enjoyed ever drop of juice. "We've all said and done things we didn't really mean. It's all part of how we cope," she surmised.

David was thankful of her forgiveness and her honesty. He'd never met a girl quite like her before. She was nothing like the girls he'd known growing up, which were few. His mother had home schooled him a lot so his social circle was small, mostly confined to a couple neighborhood girls who didn't think much of him. Even at Horizon she was the only one who gave him much notice.

He watched her eat the treat he'd brought, noticed how the moonlight reflected off her green eyes and made her look even more lovely than usual. He'd heard that pregnant woman had a certain glow to them and he believed it by looking at Daisy. She was everything he could hope for in a girl.

Without thinking he leaned in closer and soon enough found his lips had made contact with hers. For one glorious second, she was his girl and he'd never felt more complete. But the second ended and the spell of her touch was ended along with it. The box fell from her grasp as she pushed him away. The remaining strawberries rolled across the porch and were lost for good.

"David, don't," she looked shocked and guilty all at once. "You shouldn't have done that," Daisy's voice broke as she took off down the porch steps and off across the grassy yard.

The boy dropped his head, swearing under his breath. "David," Peter's voice roused him from his lament. He'd come outside just in time to witness the boy's actions. "What were you thinking?" he asked as he pushed past the teen and took off after Daisy.

xxx

She sat on the dock, legs dangling over the small wooden bench. The wind whipped across the lake and made the winter air even colder. Daisy didn't care. She barely even noticed the temperature. All she could focus on was the guilt she felt over what David had done earlier. "I'm sorry Ezra, I didn't mean to… I still…" the words just wouldn't come but the tears always did.

His ghostly form once again appeared to her, this time he hovered out over the lake. "I wish you were here, really here," Daisy spoke to him. "This baby… I don't know what to do and I need you, and I hate that I feel this way. I don't know what the right thing to do is," her tears continued to flow, emotions a jumbled mess.

"Daisy," Peter came up beside her and sat down. "You okay?" he hoped to get a dialogue started with the girl. It seemed like maybe she was ready to open up about some things.

"You do know I hate that question don't you, it's the height of ridiculous," she sniffed back the tears and turned to look at him. "I'm seventeen years old, the only guy I ever thought I could share my life with is dead and I'm having his baby. What in there gave you any idea that I might actually be okay?"

"Sorry," Peter relented.

Daisy took a minute to collect her self, realizing it wasn't right to take her pain out on Peter. He'd been so good to her and Sophie too. She turned to him again. "Do you want kids?" Daisy asked.

"Um, excuse me?" he was shocked by the sudden shift in conversation but figured it might lead to some more serious talk about what Daisy planned to do with the baby, a discussion which was long overdue.

"Kids, you know those smallish looking humans that tend to cry a lot and don't speak very well," she replied.

Peter smiled. "Yes, I know the general concept of children. That's just sort of a personal question," he tried to keep himself open to the topic though, not wanting her to shut down on him.

She was quiet for a few moments as she looked out at the lake again, both wanting to see Ezra again and hoping she didn't. "You do, I can tell," Daisy finally spoke up again. "I should also tell you that I know Sophie can't have kids," Peter looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Hopefully she told you that," Daisy was relieved to see him nodding his head.

"She did but I'm surprised she told you," he continued the conversation.

"When my mother died, it was a long drive, some things came up. And Shelby and I are jerks who pushed her too far," she admitted.

"I see," Peter nodded, leaving it at that.

Daisy shook her head as a heavy sigh escaped her lips. "I don't know what to do with this baby. Ezra was supposed to be here to help me. He'd figure something out, I know he would. He would have had a plan. I've got nothing," she admitted.

"It's okay to miss him," Peter assured her. "It's also okay to be angry at him," he further ventured.

"I keep seeing him, Peter. I see Ezra," Daisy revealed. "I've been seeing him, talking to him. He keeps saying something about helping him but I don't know what he means. How can I help him if he's dead?" she pondered. "Why couldn't he have asked me for help before he…" her entire body heaved with sorrow.

"Hey, it's okay," Peter tried his best to sooth the girl. "I think it's time to let it out Daisy, everything you've been holding inside," he offered her a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. He waited for the inevitable.

"I hate him for leaving," Daisy confessed. "And I hate myself for hating him. I never told him how much I loved him; before he died I just couldn't say those words. He didn't know how much I cared; he probably didn't think he could trust me or talk to me. If I'd let him know maybe he wouldn't have killed himself," tearless sobs raked her body.

"Daisy, what happened to Ezra is not your fault," Peter was quick to dispel that notion. "He knew, Dais. He knew how much you cared about him, we all did. It scared Sophie and I how close you too were getting. We all saw it, so did he Daisy."

"Then why, Peter?" her voice bordered on anger again. "Why didn't he get away from them? Why didn't he try to call me or you? Why didn't he try to talk to us before he killed himself?"

"I don't know, Daisy," he shook his head; a tear worked its way down his cheek. "I wish I did. I've spent so much time these past few months wondering those same things. I keep thinking I didn't prepare him enough for what was going on. I didn't make sure he was ready to handle the pressures of that trial and…" he trailed off. "Unfortunately, there are no answers. And that's hard. Somehow we have to find peace within ourselves and try to move on."

"How do we do that?" Daisy asked. It seemed there were still so many questions.

"I wish I knew, Daisy. I wish I knew," Peter didn't have any answers. "Come on, it's freezing out here," he stood and leant a hand to her.

She took his hand and got up but instantly regretted the movement. Something wasn't right. She couldn't catch her breath and her chest felt very heavy. She squeezed his hand tighter, feeling like she was going to pass out. "Peter," she only managed to utter his name before everything in her world turned black.

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"To pray is to pay attention to something or someone other than oneself."  
-W. H. Auden_

_Part 11_

Peter rushed through the front doors of the lodge, Daisy cradled safely in his arms. The party had already started to die out. Only Sophie and the rest of the cliffhangers were still milling about, cleaning up a little. They all converged on Peter as he laid Daisy out on the sofa in the lounge area. "What happened?" Sophie was at his side first, worry instantly clouding all other thought.

"We were down by the lake talking, she was upset. She just passed out as we were getting ready to head back," Peter explained. "I don't know, maybe she just got herself too worked up. She was very upset. We finally spoke at length about Ezra. But I'm worried it could be something more," he finished.

"Do you think it's the baby?" Sophie was instantly alarmed.

"I don't know, someone needs to go get nurse Annie," Peter looked over his shoulder at the kids.

"I'll go," Auggie volunteered, already headed for the door.

"No," Sophie shook her head. She looked to her husband. "Peter, we let her leave early, remember? She headed off this morning to spend the holiday with her family on the east coast," the woman reminded him.

"Damn," Peter swore, he'd completely forgotten. He pulled a blanket up over Daisy and felt her forehead. "She feels a little warm, someone get me a cold washcloth."

"I'll get it," Juliette rushed off to the kitchen.

"Sophie, I think we should call the doc," Peter decided. "I don't want to take any chances." Upon the last word he uttered, Sophie immediately headed toward the administration offices.

"What can we do?" Scott asked, standing by.

Peter shook his head as Juliette returned with the wet cloth. "Nothing, guys. Why don't you all head back to the dorms," he told them as he brushed the cloth across Daisy's forehead. "Come on Daisy, wake up for me," he encouraged the girl.

"I'm not leaving her," Shelby took up the spot that Sophie had vacated. She sat beside Daisy and held her hand. They'd all been through so much together, the last few months even more so than usual. The others didn't budge either. They all made a silent vow to stay at Daisy's side.

"Come on Daisy," Peter pleaded with the teen again and was pleased when he saw her eyes flutter open a few seconds later. "Hey, Daisy," he greeted. "Good to see your eyes. How are you feeling?" he knew it was a stupid question but he hoped to learn something more about what was going on with her.

The girl felt her chest rise and fall in quick motion. "Kind of dizzy," she replied, her words barely a whisper. "Like I can't catch my breath," Daisy closed her eyes again.

"Daisy?" Shelby was scared. "What's wrong with her?" she turned to Peter for answers.

Sophie raced back into the room at that moment. She joined Shelby at Daisy's side. "The doctor is out on a call, a stroke victim somewhere up on route 76. They can't get her in range at the moment," she revealed.

"So what do we do?" Peter wasn't sure if Daisy's problem was anything medical related or just brought on by the stress of their talk. Either way he was responsible for the girl's safety.

"Take her to the hospital?" Sophie suggested.

"I agree," Peter nodded, having been ready to suggest it as an option himself. "Lets not take any chances here. We'll get her to the car; you find Roger and tell him what's going on. Meet you at the truck," Sophie nodded as she left again. Peter looked over his shoulder. "Scott," he waved the boy over. "Help me get her to the truck," he directed.

"Dude, what are we all supposed to do just sit here?" Auggie watched helplessly as Juliette stood beside him. All the while David stayed in the corner feeling like a total waste of space.

"You can't all come with us, I'm sorry," Peter informed them.

"Can I?" Shelby asked, standing by the door.

"Yeah, okay," Peter agreed. "Scott," he directed the boy as they lifted Daisy and carried her out to the truck. Juliette followed them out with a blanket.

xxx

"Man, this sucks," Auggie paced around the lodge, Roger had allowed them all to stay there for a while longer as he made his rounds through the campus. "What are we meant to do now?" he asked as he sat down on the sofa beside Juliette.

David shrugged. "Go to sleep?" he offered the half-hearted idea, trying to cover the guilt he was feeling inside. Maybe if he hadn't tried to kiss her earlier she wouldn't have been so upset and run off. Maybe she wouldn't have been down by the lake and passed out. There were a lot of maybes and no real answers.

"I can't sleep worried about Daisy," Juliette leaned her head against Auggie's shoulder.

"Me either," Auggie replied.

Scott sat by the fire and watched the flames dance, wondering if Shelby was okay. He knew how close she was to Daisy, even if he and the other girl didn't always get along. She was Shelby's best girlfriend and they'd all been through so much together. "When Shelby left that time, to take care of her step-father," he looked over at his friends. "She would only write to Daisy and finally Daisy let me read them. I was so upset and there was nothing I could do. I asked Daisy what to do," Scott remembered how surprised he'd been by the girl's answer. "She told me to pray."

"Pray?" Juliette was somewhat shocked.

"Daisy told you to pray?" Auggie was clearly confused by the news as well. It seemed a very unlikely response from the Daisy they'd all come to know over the years.

Scott nodded. "Yep, and I did," he revealed. "And Shelby came back. She was okay."

Silence reigned again for a moment. David glanced around at the group of people he'd come to think of as friends. "I don't know how to pray," he admitted.

"I think you just say what you feel, man," Auggie let the other boy know. He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Please just let her be okay," he whispered.

"And the baby too," Juliette added to his sentiments.

"Help us all through this," Scott spoke, looking into the fire again.

"Help us get Daisy through all of this," David concluded.

xxx

The hospital was relatively quiet, being late at night as it was. Shelby was seated on a bench in the hallway, Sophie and Peter beside her. They were all trying not to worry, keeping positive attitudes for Daisy's sake. It was hard to imagine anything more bad happing to the teen. Her year had been a non-stop whirl of bad luck so far. The law of averages seemed against her at the moment.

"Are you Daisy's parents?" a nurse's voice called out from down the hall. Sophie and Peter jumped to their feet and greeted the woman as she came to stand before them.

"Yes," Peter answered, not caring to clarify the terms foster parents versus real parents. They were all Daisy had at the moment. "Is she okay?" he asked the question that was on all three of their minds.

The nurse nodded and flashed them a small, reassuring smile. "Yes, she's going to be just fine. After talking with her for a few minutes we were able to conclude that this panic attack was simply brought on by stress," she informed them.

"What about the baby?" Sophie asked.

"Fine as well," the nurse replied to a chorus of relived sighs. "We found a good strong heartbeat, nothing to worry about there. Panic attacks can be pretty scary but they've not life threatening. However, I'd advise you to try and keep Daisy as stress free as possible. But she can go home as soon as you all are ready. I just need one of you to sign a few papers,"

"I'll go," Peter offered.

"You two can go to her room, the third on the left," the nurse informed them. "Help her get dressed. We'll just be a few minutes here," she concluded, leading Peter off toward the front desk where they'd first come in.

Shelby and Sophie made their way to Daisy's room. Shelby was the first to Daisy's side. She grinned at her friend who was sitting up with a lovely hospital gown on. "Nice way to get out of my party," the older girl grinned.

"I'm sorry," Daisy replied, not seeming to notice her friends teasing tone. "I didn't mean to ruin it, it was suppose to be your night," she lamented.

"Daisy, stop," Shelby shook her head. "You didn't do anything wrong, aside from scare the crap out of us. The others are probably still pacing the halls back at school," she squeezed her friends hand tightly, letting her know she was there for her.

"Sorry," Daisy apologized again, looking to Sophie as if needing a mother's approval of some sort. She'd never felt quite so needy before.

Sophie put a hand to Daisy's shoulder and brushed some hair out back off the teenagers face. "How are you feeling?"

"Stupid," Daisy muttered, dropping her eyes to the bed.

"They said it was just a panic attach, nothing serious," Sophie informed her. "And it wasn't your fault, Daisy," she tried her best to sound reassuring.

Daisy wasn't buying into it. "But I was the one who let things build up inside me. I let it fester and… I could have done something to hurt this kid," her hands sat protectively atop her rounded belly.

"The baby is fine," Sophie again tried to inject some semblance of reassurance, feeling she was getting nowhere. "And you're fine, nothing more to it than that. All that matters is that you're both okay." Daisy didn't reply at all and Shelby stood by quietly but Sophie could sense the girl had something to say. She had a feeling maybe a one on one would be better. "I'm just going to step out a minute and see what's keeping Peter. Shelby, why don't you make sure Daisy gets up and dressed," Sophie left them with that.

Shelby walked over to a nearby chair where Daisy's clothes were laid out. She grabbed them and brought them over to her friend, helping her stand up and get changed as well. After that they both sat on the edge of the bed. "You know, you really did scare us," Shelby mentioned again, hoping to get Daisy talking.

"I scared myself," Daisy admitted. Her hands rested on her stomach again. "What kind of mother gets herself so worked up that she endangers the life of her unborn kid?" she asked. "A bad one, that's what kind," she quickly answered her own question.

"Dais, don't do this to yourself. Remember what got you here in the first place?" Shelby tried to keep her scolding to a minimum while still making a point.

"I didn't know what to do," Daisy wasn't listening too well. "Sophie and Peter knew what to do. They brought me here. They were calm and in control about it all," she recalled what little she'd been conscious for.

Shelby cocked her head slightly, raising one shoulder. "They have a lot more experience in this sort of thing," she reminded her friend.

"They'd be really good parents," Daisy knew it was true because they'd already been better parents to her than her own. "It doesn't really seem fair that they can't have kids and someone like me gets pregnant without even trying."

"No one ever said life was fair," Shelby replied. They could all attest to that.

"No," Daisy agreed. "No they didn't," she was thinking about something else entirely by the time Peter and Sophie walked in to her room. Peter made his way over to the bed and wrapped his arms around Daisy without a care in the world. His embrace was so welcoming, without guilt. Even though Daisy figured he should have been upset by a lot of what she'd done recently, he still cared and was there for her. That's what Daisy liked to imagine good fathers did for their children. Unconditional love.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his shoulder.

Peter gave her an encouraging smile as he pulled back. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Daisy." Peter would here nothing more on the subject. "Now, let's go home," he ushered all three girls out the door.

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our lives are made. Destiny is made known silently."  
-Agnes de Mille_

_Part 12_

Daisy watched the falling snow. It was always so quiet when new snow fell to blanket the earth. She turned away from the window refocusing her attention to the task at hand. She looked down at the many cookie shapes in front of her. "How did you learn to make cookies?" she asked Sophie. Peter and Sophie had insisted that she spend the Holiday's at their place. Daisy had felt uncomfortable at first but they'd been so welcoming and she was trying to fit in as best she could.

"My mom taught me when I was younger, before things got crazy." Sophie was always a bit cryptic about her family. Daisy couldn't blame her for that. "What about your mom, Daisy. What did she teach you?"

"How to drink and drive?" the girl instantly replied.

"Daisy," Sophie made it clear she wasn't amused by the response. "She must have taught you something," she persisted.

Daisy concentrated on the white frosting tube in her hand. She was trying to decide on a facial expression for her gingerbread man. "To sing," the words were a horse whisper on her lips as she finally painted a smile on the cookie. "She taught me how to sing," Daisy revealed. Her emotions on mothers were all tossed around at the moment as she contemplated being one herself.

Sophie stood beside her, listening but not pushing for any more information than Daisy was willing to give. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Not exactly something I advertise in neon colors," Daisy replied. "It kind of ruins my Goth girl exterior," she quipped, following Sophie's lead and placing tiny red-hot candies in a row down the gingerbread man's front for buttons. Small bits of raisin were placed for eyes. "It was the only time I felt close to her. She had a great voice," Daisy remembered. "Too bad she wasted it."

"At least you'll always have that with her, no one can take that memory from you," Sophie offered.

"Yeah," Daisy nodded as she put down her frosting tube and removed her apron. "I should go clean up before Peter's brother gets here." She quickly left the room, effectively ending their side trip down memory lane.

Peter snuck up behind his wife, wrapping his arms around her middle. He nuzzled her neck and stole a few kisses before pulling away. "How's she doing?" he asked, snatching a cookie and biting off the snowman's head.

"About the same as usual," Sophie stacked some of the cooled cookies. "As soon as things turn personal she closes up. I just wish she'd confide in me. I feel like I'm failing her and I'm not even her mother," the woman lamented.

"You're doing great, Soph," Peter insisted. "Daisy, she's had a really hard year so far and it's far from over. That baby is due in about two months and she hasn't told us anything about what she plans to do," he sighed, finishing off his cookie. "I hate to say it but I just don't see how she can stay at Horizon if she keeps the baby. And I don't know what will happen to her if she tries to make it on her own right now. I feel like the one failing her," he admitted.

Sophie pulled him back into a hug. "I guess all we can do is be here for her," she tried to reason.

A knock at the front door interrupted their brief moment together. Peter arched his eyebrows at Sophie. "Maybe a little family gathering will be just the thing to put us all in a better mood. I can't believe we haven't seen my brother and his family since our wedding," he was actually smiling as he went to answer the door.

xxx

"Uncle Pete, what if Santa doesn't know I'm at your house for Christmas?" six year old son Jason looked up at his uncle with very serious questioning eyes. "He won't come and leave me presents and I've been a good boy all year," he added. "Well, mostly. Except I dropped mommy's favorite vase but it was an accident."

Peter grinned at the boy; a hand ruffled his dark hair. "I'm sure you've been very good," he crouched down so that he was eye to eye with the little guy. "What I've heard is that Santa is a very smart man and he has a lot of elves to help him keep track of everything. I'm sure he'll know exactly where to find you," Peter assured the boy.

The boy seemed happy enough by that answer. Sophie entered the room with a plate of cookies, offering one to Jason. The child took a snowman and headed off to the other room to find his parents. "He's so cute," she said as she sat down beside Peter. They snuggled by the tree, not realizing that Daisy was standing just behind them.

She'd been watching Peter with Jason, amused by their interaction. "Do you really think feeding him lies about Santa Clause is wise?" Daisy asked, letting herself be known as she leaned against the door frame.

They both glanced over their shoulders at the teen. "Daisy, its Santa Clause. Didn't you ever believe in Santa?" Sophie asked.

"When I was about Jason's age, yes," the girl nodded. "Then one Christmas Eve I heard my parents arguing. They'd been to a party and they'd been drinking, big surprise," she rolled her eyes. "So I crept down the stairs and watched them in the living room. My mother had a doll in her hands, the exact one I had seen in the store a month before and begged Santa for. The fight got out of hand and the doll ended up in the middle of it. My father ripped its head off. Christmas morning came and there was nothing under the tree. My mother proceeded to tell me that Santa hadn't come that year because I'd been bad. That's when I stopped believing… in a lot of things," Daisy left the room.

"Just when we think we're making progress," Sophie sighed, leaning heavily against Peter.

xxx

It was the morning after Christmas and Peter's brother and family had left at the crack of dawn. They had a long journey back to New York. Sophie and Peter had seen them all off while Daisy slept in. Christmas had been a fun and light hearted occasion. Little Jason had been visited by Santa and all was well there. But Daisy hadn't been able to get into it too much.

The teenager wandered into the kitchen and sat down at the table realizing how quiet it was again without Jason running all over the place. She watched Peter and Sophie moving about the kitchen as they prepared a meal. They deliberately bumped into one another and laughed as they mixed pancake batter. Daisy felt her heart thump loudly in her chest as she realized how happy they were.

There had been something on her mind since the night she'd ended up at the hospital over her panic attack, and she felt it was finally the right time to tell them. Daisy had thought long and hard about it, weighing her options back and forth. She'd finally come to a decision. "I want the two of you to adopt this baby," she glanced over at them to see if they'd been paying attention.

Peter and Sophie halted all movement, neither of them quite sure if they'd heard her correctly. The pan warming on the burner started to smolder as the three of them waited out the awkward moment. "Um, you…" Sophie couldn't find any words.

"I think we need to talk," Peter abandoned the breakfast preparation, removing the pan from the burner as he sat down across from Daisy. Sophie joined them as well. "Now, would you like to repeat what you just said," he raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't think I'm serious," Daisy shook her head, shifting in the chair to face them full on. "But I am. You don't have to say yes right now. Well," she paused a second, looking away. "You don't have to say yes at all." Daisy raised her eyes again. "But I want it to be the two of you. You're my only choice," she concluded.

Sophie and Peter exchanged a look, still not sure where to begin. "Daisy, do you really think you could give this baby up?" Peter finally asked. It had always been a thought in the back of his head that adoption might come up. But he had to admit he never thought of he and Sophie adopting the child.

"To you guys, yes," Daisy confidently replied. She swallowed a lump in her throat and proceeded, knowing she needed to get more out. "If Ezra was still alive," her voice was strained, trying to keep an even keel. "I don't know, maybe we could have tried to make it all work," she shrugged. "But he's not and I don't think I can do it on my own," she admitted.

"This is a huge decision, it shouldn't be made so easily," Peter was still leery even though he was starting to allow himself to entertain the idea. He could see Sophie from the corner of his eye and he knew she already had her hopes up. They'd talked about adoption at length a few times but had never actually started any process.

"This is not easy," Daisy shook her head. "But I was telling Shelby the other week that it didn't seem fair that the two of you couldn't have a child and here I am with a baby I never planned on. Now I have to think that maybe this was the plan all along. Maybe this…" she ran a hand over her belly. "Maybe all of this happened for a reason."

"Daisy, we're beyond flattered. We…" Sophie still didn't know what to say. Her heart was screaming yes that very instant. She'd wanted a child so badly for her and Peter. Daisy's request seemed like a dream come true. But there were so many worries and doubts swimming through her head.

"I told you the other day that I stopped believing in Santa Clause early on," Daisy seemed to veer off topic. "I stopped believing in everything at that moment. I became a cynical child. I didn't think I could ever depend on anyone again, certainly not my parents. They fed me lies and were a constant disappointment," the teen explained. "But you two and Horizon, Shelby, all of them… you've changed me. I believe in you," Daisy shared. "And I know that you will be the best parents this child could ever hope for, because you've already been the best parents I could ask for," she concluded. "Just think about it, please?"

"Okay," Sophie instantly replied. She saw Peter give her a questioning glance but he nodded in agreement a second later.

"We'll think about it," Peter agreed. Daisy stood and left the room. Peter and Sophie remained seated, too stunned to know what to do. "What just happened here?" Peter asked a few minutes later.

Sophie felt a smile form. "I don't know, maybe a miracle?"

_To be continued…_


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Love is thicker than blood."  
-Garth Brooks_

_Part 13_

"Hey kiddo, you're gonna miss the fireworks. Get on out here," Peter called to Daisy as he and Sophie were huddle together on the front porch. They sat on a wooden bench with a large warm afghan draped over their laps. It was nearly midnight on the last night of the year. The New Year loomed before them, with new questions to be answered.

Daisy stuck her head out the front door just as the show began. A nearby neighbor of theirs always put on a big show for the New Year. She stood and watched the colorful patterns for a moment. The past few days had passed by without much trouble. They were all pretty laid back, doing a lot of reading and cooking and sitting by the fire. A few walks through the snow were taken and some old movies had been watched.

The girl had warmed up to living with them quite easily. She had her own room and was able to relax. Mostly she kept out of their way as much as possible, not wanting to be a burden. Sophie and Peter always included her in their plans though, not thinking her a bother at all. They didn't speak of the adoption but Daisy was growing anxious.

As the fireworks ended and they moved back inside, the girl's thoughts returned to her baby. The new year needed to take on a different tone, if she could make that happen. Daisy was in need of some answers so that she could plan for her future and the future of her child.

"So, have you thought about it?" Daisy asked as Peter was putting out the fire. There was no need to mention what she was referring to. They all understood. And the more she thought about it the more her decision solidified in her head. She just hoped they'd feel the same way.

"Yes," Peter replied, slightly reserved.

"And?" Daisy prodded.

"And we need to know exactly what sort of an arrangement we're talking about here," Sophie entered into the conversation. She and Peter had talked about it every night since Daisy had come to them with the idea.

"You and Peter, full custody," Daisy easily replied. "This baby would be yours. He or she will call you mom and dad, the whole bit," she went on. "All I ask is that… that I be allowed to have some sort of contact," she stipulated, knowing there was no way she could just walk away completely without ever looking back.

"Daisy, of course," Sophie agreed.

"You're part of this family," Peter jumped in. "And you'll always be a part of this baby's family. If we do this, it's open and honest communication the whole way. This baby knows about its adoptive status, knows how much all three of us love it," he could already feel himself starting to grow attached. "No secrets in this family," he insisted.

"So does this mean you're saying yes?" Daisy pushed.

"What if you change your mind?" Sophie's worries resurfaced even after all the talking she and Peter had done. "What if you see this baby and fall in love with it and decide that you can't give it up," she voiced her biggest fear.

Daisy rested her hands on her stomach and smiled. "I already love this baby," she told them honestly. "This child is probably the only person that I have ever loved without condition. It's because of that love that I'm doing this. I want the best for this kid and the two of you as its parents... that's it. I won't change my mind," Daisy assured them. "I'm not going to pretend this will be easy but this is what I want. I promise you, if you agree, this child is yours."

Sophie looked to Peter but a final agreement wasn't necessary. They both already knew what they wanted. "We want this child," Sophie finally made it known aloud. Peter squeezed her hand in a show of support.

A tear trailed down Daisy's face. She was unprepared for the emotional onslaught of the final decision, it was a bittersweet moment. Fear and joy flooded her heart as Peter and Sophie wrapped their warm arms around her and held her tightly. They all wept.

xxx

"You've been pretty quiet all day," Sophie sat down beside Daisy on the sofa. The fire was flickering brightly in the stone fireplace and New Years Day was quickly coming to an end. The three of them would be back to their routine at Horizon in another three days. The girl offered her one end of the blanket she was covered up in and Sophie snuggled in.

"Sorry, I've just been sitting here wishing so many things were different," Daisy replied. Sophie looked a little alarmed. "Not about the adoption," the teen assured her. "I was just wishing I had a family who did this sort of thing, Christmas celebrations with extended family, neighborhood New Year's fireworks and just hanging out, eating cookies. All I have is dear old dad and some great aunt Ruth who I last saw when I was about ten," she lamented.

"You're wrong, Daisy," Sophie reached out and pushed the girl's hair back so she could see her eyes. "I thought you knew this by now, but what Peter said last night was no lie; you are family. Peter and I are here for you, so are Shelby and the others. You have more than you realize," she intoned.

Daisy looked to Sophie for a long moment, seeing what a good mother the woman would be. She moved closer and allowed her head to rest on Sophie's shoulder, needing a mother's comfort. Her lips curled into a smile as she felt someone else who clearly wanted to be in on the group hug. Daisy took Sophie's hand and placed it atop her belly.

Sophie's eyes lit up as she felt the gentle thump against her hand. It repeated several times. "She always wakes up when I'm still like this. Makes sleeping a real pain," Daisy commented, though she didn't sound too upset about it.

"She?" Sophie was curious about the girl's feminine pronoun usage. "I thought you didn't want to find out the baby's sex."

"I didn't. I haven't. I told the doctor not to tell me," Daisy replied, her hand still resting against Sophie's. "Some things I see, some I don't. It's just a feeling I get," she confessed.

"I wish I could know what it's like," Sophie's voice was low as she hoped to feel another movement from the child; her child.

"It feels pretty much like this, only from the inside," Daisy explained. "And she presses against your bladder. That's fun in the middle of the night too." She noticed Sophie's serious look and realized that maybe a joke at the moment wasn't called for. She rested her head back against the sofa. "It's odd and kind of wonderful. It's also very powerful."

"Powerful?" Sophie asked, wanting to know more about something she would never get to experience.

"Yeah, I mean, she's unique you know," Daisy tried not to think too heavily about Ezra and the last night they'd spent together. "A combination of Ezra and I. There's only one of her, completely original and unique. Sometimes I suddenly realize that I made her, I helped create this life. That power is incrediable and it scares the crap out of me. All I want to do is protect her," the girl confessed.

"I wish I could be the one protecting her," Sophie swallowed her sorrow the best she could.

"You will protect her," Daisy's voice was soft as they both felt another tiny kick. "I'll watch over her a few more months, keep her safe inside here. But you'll be the one protecting her for the rest of her life. You'll be her mother." Daisy knew she'd made the right decision but it still hurt knowing the child's future was now out of her hands.

xxx

Daisy watched Peter swing the axe as she stood nearby. He split his second log right down the middle and perched another atop the chopping block. The snow fell in a light dusting, nothing compared to years past. They were actually a little concerned for the coming summer with so little snow pack. It would make for a bit of a dry spell.

"Are you really okay with all this?" Daisy asked.

Peter stopped mid-swing and looked over at her. "Yes," he knew what she was referring to. She and Sophie had grown ten times closer in the last few days, bonding over the child that she'd eventually give over to them. But he knew he'd been a little distant with her. He just never realized that Daisy would pick up on it.

"You don't wish it was genetically your child?" she pressed.

He put the axe down and went to her side, one hand on her shoulder. "I guess I always thought I'd have a kid, or kids. With my smile and Sophie's eyes. They'd be super athletic and adventurous just like us," he mused. "But then I realized that the only think I really wanted was a happy, healthy child," he let her know. "And it honestly doesn't matter that he or she looks like me or does the things I do. I want to be a father more than I ever realized."

"You'll be a good one," she smiled up at him. "You seem to like me and that's no easy task," Daisy played down her importance in the world, as she often did.

Peter lifted her chin and looked her in the eye. "I don't like you, Daisy. Let's get that straight. I love you," he let her know as he wrapped her up in his arms. "Whatever this baby is, boy or girl, always know that you were the first child I loved as my own," he whispered in her ear.

_To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"All people want is someone to listen."  
-Hugh Elliott_

_Part 14_

Daisy flipped over one of her tarot cards and laid it down on the table in front of her. She leaned over in her seat upon the sofa and placed another card beside the others, discerning its meaning. It was the wheel of fortune card, a sign of destiny that also signified a turning point. Her hands ran over the deck of cards that Ezra had given her. Shelby had fished them out of the trash and kept them safe in case she ever changed her mind about wanting them back.

"I haven't seen you do that in a long time," Shelby's voice startled Daisy as she turned around to find her friend standing beside the sofa. The two girls shared a hug and caught up on the short time they'd been apart.

Auggie and Juliette entered the room a few minutes later and found the two of them laughing as Daisy performed a reading for Shelby. "Why do I find this scene so confusing?" Auggie joked as he and Juliette took a seat in the room with their friends.

Daisy stuck her tongue out at him for his comment. "Something wrong with being happy?" she asked.

"Well, no," Auggie stammered.

"I think it's great," Juliette got up and joined the two girls on the sofa, Daisy between her and Shelby. "It's been a long time since we've seen you smile, Daisy." She hugged the girl.

"Daisy's smiling?" Scott's words cut through the room as he sauntered in to the space and sat down on the sofa's arm, beside Shelby. "Is the world coming to an end or something?" he asked in his best annoying brother tone of voice.

They all laughed at that for a short time but Daisy's smile finally slipped as she regarded all of her closest friends. She abandoned her cards and leaned back against the sofa. "I think you all should know that I've made a decision about the baby."

"What sort of decision?" Shelby asked.

Daisy looked to them all for support and found the courage to go on. "Adoption," the word worked itself out of Daisy's mouth with more difficulty than she'd imagined. But she solidified her conviction and spoke more adamantly a second later. "I'm going to put this baby up for adoption," she revealed.

There was silence for a long moment as they all digested what she'd told them. Shelby and Juliette both comforted their friend, knowing what a hard decision it must have been for her to make. Auggie flashed a sympathetic smile, lending his support the only way he knew how, from a far. Scott watched them all with a look of discomfort before he finally spoke up. "You're joking right?"

"No, I've never been more serious," Daisy returned. "I want to go to college, hopefully. And I need to do a lot of growing up. You said so yourself when I first told you all that I was pregnant. I'm still a kid myself, I don't know how to be a mother," she shook her head. "This baby deserves two parents who will love it and be mature enough to know how to raise it."

"Like Ezra's parents?" Scott shot back, standing up and pacing the space between the sofa and fireplace. "They were sure mature in the way they adopted a child just to save their marriage. So mature that they ended up destroying not only their marriage but Ezra as well," he spat the words at her with disgust. "You'd just give your kid to strangers? I thought you were better than that, Daisy."

She stood and moved in toward him, not afraid to get in his face. "I love this kid," Daisy spoke calmly. "But I am mature enough to know that I can't take care of it the way So…"

"Shut up," Scott pushed her away, not letting her finish.

"Scott!" Shelby got to her feet, grabbing his arm as she hoped to talk some sort of sense into him. His behavior had surprised them all but none so much as her.

"No," he brushed Shelby off too. "She…" he honestly didn't know why he was so upset about Daisy's decision but he couldn't put it into words. "Never mind," he stormed out of the room in a huff.

Juliette had her arms around Daisy who was really pissed. Auggie looked about ready to go after Scott and chew him out but Shelby stopped him. "Daisy, I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it, he just," she really couldn't excuse her boyfriend's odd behavior. "I don't know," she shrugged. "He's just an ass sometimes."

That earned a small smile from Daisy. "If he would have let me finish, maybe he'd feel differently."

"About what?" Auggie questioned.

"About Sophie and Peter adopting this baby," Daisy revealed.

"Seriously?" Shelby was the first one who showed some degree of happiness over the news. Of course, she and Daisy were the only ones who knew that Sophie couldn't have kids. "You asked them?"

Daisy nodded. "I asked and they said yes," she replied. "They'll be good parents, I know they will."

"Yeah, of course they will," Shelby agreed, hugging her friend. She knew that even though Peter and Sophie would love Daisy's baby like their own, the decision couldn't have been easy.

"But can you really give up your kid?" Auggie didn't sound upset, he was just curious. He honestly didn't know what he'd do in the same situation.

"This is not about me," Daisy insisted. "My decision to sleep with Ezra is not something I'd change but this kid, she doesn't deserve a lifetime of struggle because I was too selfish to let go. I want her to have a better life than I did, than all of us. I believe that Peter and Sophie can give her that more than I ever could."

Shelby nodded. "Because they gave all of us that too," she realized. She hugged her friend again. This time Auggie and Juliette joined in.

"Did I miss something?" they all looked over a moment later to see David standing behind the sofa, a confused look upon his face.

xxx

The others had left them alone, sensing that the two wished to speak privately. No one really knew what had happened between David and Daisy to cause tension yet again but they knew enough to not get involved. "So, what do you think?" Daisy asked, after explaining everything again. "Do you think I'm making a mistake like Scott does?" She wasn't sure why she sought David's or even Scott's approval, but she did.

He shook his head. "No. I think the same thing I did before, you have a heck of a lot more courage than I do," David let her know in his own way that he supported her choice.

"Thanks," she edged toward the door.

"Look, Daisy," David stopped her from going. "I didn't, uh… well, my folks showed up early that morning after your accident and I never got a chance to tell you I was sorry about what happened," he apologized.

"You know that wasn't your fault right," she sensed some guilt flowing off him.

David shrugged. "But I, you know, kissed you and then you ran off and…"

"Um, you really think your kiss had that much power?" she was trying hard to keep a straight face, but just couldn't tease him so mercilessly. "I was upset at myself, David, not you," she let him know.

"Okay," David looked around, feeling rather awkward. But there was more he needed to say. "Look, I know that you're not ready for anything like what I did, the kiss and all. Maybe you'll never want that from me and that's fine. I just want you to know, I'd rather have you as a friend than lose you all together. I need you in my life, Daisy. You don't take any of my shit."

"If you say I make you a better person I might have to slap you," she warned in a playful manner.

"I won't say it," he replied, a half smile brimming. "Doesn't mean it's not true, though."

Daisy smiled at that. "You have me. I don't want to lose your friendship either," she let him know. "But I'm not looking for a boyfriend, not any time soon," she felt an odd sense of déjà vu flow over her as she spoke, remembering a conversation she'd once had with Ezra. That had all ended much differently than she'd planned. But she really wasn't ready for anything more from David at the moment.

He extended his hand to her. "Friends?"

She nodded, shaking his hand warmly. "Friends," she agreed.

_To be continued…_


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."  
-Anne Bradstreet_

_Part 15_

"Okay, cliffhangers," Peter rounded up the group from their free time in the courtyard. They were having an unseasonably warm January to complement the rest of the winter so far. Not sunny by any means but not nearly as rainy as usual. And very little snowfall since Christmas. "Day hike," he announced, staring at their six less than thrilled looking faces.

"With a twist," Sophie added as she came to join them, holding several pieces of rope in her left hand. "You'll be on your own for this one, well, in pairs of two on your own," she amended.

"No way, man," Scott shook his head. "Not another one of those tied together buddy hikes. David and I already worked through our issues," he assured her.

"Which is why we've chosen boy/girl pairings this time," Peter announced.

The teenagers were surprised, knowing that Sophie and Peter never allowed the opposite sex to hang out alone. "Have they lost their minds?" Shelby asked, looking to her friends for confirmation.

"Auggie and Shelby," Peter called out as Sophie handed them their length of rope. "You are team one. David and Juliette, you're team two," he went on. They all started to realize that the pairs were ones who rarely interacted on a one to one basis. There was always method to their madness.

"Ah man, you gotta be joking," Scott shook his head again as he glanced over at Daisy.

"Scott and Daisy," Peter confirmed. "Team three."

"Dude, she's pregnant," Scott replied in a form of protest.

Daisy grinned. "Yes, pregnant, not an invalid. I do still know how to walk so let's see if you can pull your head out of the dark ages," she goaded him, wondering why he was still upset with her several weeks after their run in about her adoption decision. He hadn't talked to anyone about it further, so he still didn't know that it was Sophie and Peter she was giving her baby to. She wondered if that would even make a difference in his mind. She had a feeling that his reasoning's ran deeper.

"This isn't a race, she won't be holding you back," Peter interjected. "And your route will actually be much easier than the other two groups," he revealed.

"But I can do more than flat trails," Scott replied. "Partner me with someone I can do some damage with. I could use a good workout," the teen looked around at the group: everywhere but in Daisy's direction. He really needed to let off some steam.

"No," Peter stood his ground where the pairings were concerned. "This exercise is not about being the best or climbing the highest or fastest. It's about communication. Not only will you be tethered but each team will have one map and one compass. One person takes the map, the other the compass. The map reader must accurately relay the coordinates to the compass holder."

Auggie moaned. "Team work."

"Exactly," Sophie replied. "You are not allowed to share these duties. If you cheat, we will know," she warned them.

"Yeah, right. How are they gonna know?" Scott mumbled.

Peter was not amused by the boy's attitude lately. "Because each map and compass is color coded per group with a special paint that will leave you with a nice print on your fingers. We've already assigned who gets what color in each team. If we find any trace of the wrong color on your hands, bingo," he grinned.

"This is like spy stuff you see in the movies," David wasn't really seeing the point of it all and neither were the others. They all felt they communicated well enough to get by.

"Yeah, and I thought it wasn't a race so why do we need all this anyhow?" Shelby asked.

Sophie handed out the tools for their walk, assigning the compass and maps per her and Peter's previous arrangements. "You should know by now, it's about cooperation, team work and most of all, good communication skills," she reiterated the fine points of the lesson.

"Okay but she's like, really pregnant," Scott was still not keen on the idea of traipsing around the woods with Daisy

"That's right, jocko. You really are a master of the obvious today," she shook her head in disgust then glanced over at her best friend. "I'm sorry, Shelby, but I might have to hurt your boyfriend while we're out," Daisy playfully intoned.

Shelby grinned, knowing what a butthead he was being. "As long as you bring him back in one piece," the girl played along as Scott glared at both of them without amusement.

"That's enough," Sophie put a stop to their petty bickering.

"We'll be checking up on all groups from a far. You'll be fine," Peter assured them even though he had his own doubts about Daisy being out there. Sophie had insisted that the girl would be all right. That her doctor had said she was in perfect health at her last appointment. She wasn't due for another four weeks and first babies were notoriously late. Fresh air and moderate exercise was good for her. They'd chosen a safe enough trail.

"Grab your packs," Peter pointed toward the small day satchels that he and Sophie had packed. "There are just some basic medical supplies and a lunch for each of you," he informed them. "You shouldn't need anything else, all the courses are designed to get you back here before dark," he concluded.

"Good luck," Sophie added as the teens all took off, hobbling in tied pairs toward their given directions. "How do you think they'll do?" she turned to her husband who was pulling on his own larger pack.

"Well, I'm always hopefully," Peter grinned. "I think they've all come a long way the last few years," he was confident in their abilities.

"It's hard to believe they'll be graduating soon," Sophie had a wistful look on her face. "They were my first you know," she was actually getting a little emotional about it all.

Peter wrapped his arms around her. "And you've done a wonderful job with them," he kissed her briefly on the lips, enjoying the moment alone. He knew those moments would be harder to come by with a newborn in their family. But he couldn't be happier about sharing their lives with a child. "They are all going to do great out there in the real world," he let her know.

"What about Daisy?" Sophie questioned. "Do you really think she can give this baby up and move on with her life?"

"You're worried," Peter noted.

"Yes, aren't you?" she asked. "I just don't want to grow attached to this child and then…" the truth was that she was all ready in love with Daisy's baby. She'd wanted a child for so long and now that they were so close. But all her doubts were rolling forward again. She didn't think she could stand the loss of a child after a few months time if Daisy changed her mind before things were finalized.

"I believe that this is what Daisy really wants," Peter assured his wife. "And in about a month we're going to be parents," he concluded, exuding enough confidence for both of them.

"About that," Sophie took the opening he'd created. "I was thinking that maybe after the baby is born I might take some time off from Horizon. I'd like to give being a mom a real go. I think she should have someone with her full-time and not a nanny or babysitters. I want to do this right."

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Peter agreed. "Just remember I get daddy time when I get home," he smiled brightly at the idea of someone calling him daddy. He'd always dreamt of it but the notion that it was soon to become a reality suddenly hit him, so did something his wife had said. "You just said she?"

Sophie grinned and shrugged her shoulders at him. "It's just a feeling Daisy and I share."

xxx

Auggie stepped over a large bolder. "Bad step," he called to Shelby who was right behind him. They continued forward on level ground for a short time. "So, you and Scott decided on a college yet?" he tried to make small talk. They were all friends to a degree but some were closer than others. He and Shelby didn't really interact much, which he figured was some of Peter's reasoning on this little hike.

"Scott's dad managed to get him a football scholarship to USC even though he decided to stay here and finish high school," Shelby replied. "Money makes things happen in the Barringer world," she scoffed. "I can't go to a school like that. I'll be lucky to get some community college in," she concluded.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Auggie nodded his head, thinking about Juliette and her mom. "Jules has narrowed her choices down to Harvard and Yale," he said as they started up a small incline.

"You mean her mother narrowed it down to those two," Shelby corrected.

"True," Auggie agreed. "She's done so good these last few years not letting her mom dictate what to think and all that but how can she say no to such good schools?" he pondered aloud. "She can't and she shouldn't," he answered. "Not for me. I guess I won't see her again, but I should have known that all ready. We're from two different worlds."

"So are Scott and I," Shelby noted. "Who ever said that opposites attract never gave much consideration to how tricky that makes for maintaining a relationship," she sighed as they continued up the hilly stretch of trail.

Auggie smiled. "I hear that," he nodded again. He could see how upset Shelby was even though she did do a pretty good job of trying to cover up her feelings. "Hey, Scott loves you, you know," Auggie insisted. "You guys will find a way to make it work."

Shelby sported a half smile. "Yeah, so will you and the princess. I hope," she added.

"Really?" Auggie was kind of surprised by her sentiment.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I know I'm always giving her crap but she's good for you; and you for her. Don't let anyone dictate what they think is right and wrong, Auggie. Follow your heart."

"Good advice," Auggie replied. He gently bumped her shoulder in a note of thanks. "Maybe you should take it yourself," he added.

She shook her head and smiled. "Yeah, maybe you're right," Shelby agreed. "Now if I can just get him to stop hating Daisy…"

xxx

Scott felt like he was walking at a snails pace as he and Daisy made their way through the woods, tethered together. He sighed dramatically every time she slowed to a crawl to step over a rock or fallen log. "Do you have a problem?" she finally asked, sick of his louder than necessary sighing.

"Nope," he answered, trying to continue forward without confrontation. But Daisy stopped short and he tripped up, nearly falling on his face. He glared back at her. "Not cool," Scott snapped at her.

"Why are you so pissed at me?" Daisy asked, still not making a move.

"I'm not pissed at you," Scott replied, checking the map in his hands. "I just don't think you should hand your kid over to people you know nothing about," he added. He folded the map again. "South-west," he gave her the direction.

Daisy consulted her compass and then pointed the correct way without another word. They continued on in silence.

_To be continued…_


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."  
-Robert Burns_

_Part 16_

"Daisy really loved Ezra," Juliette told her walking partner as they worked their way through a thicket of tall fir trees. The weather was calm, not much breeze. It was almost scarily warm for the time of year but still with a soft chill to the air. They could hear birds chirping away in the trees above as a gentle ray of sun shown down over their path.

David nodded. "Yeah, I know," he'd witnessed their relationship first hand and the disappointment of coming in second place. "It was stupid, what I did," in the course of their hike he'd confessed to the kiss he'd stolen from Daisy before winter break. "I know that, I just…"

"You really love her too," the girl finished.

"What?" he back peddled. "No I don't, it was just a kiss. It never should have happened."

Juliette smiled knowingly. "You don't have to lie to me, David. I'm not Scott or Shelby. I won't tease you about it. I think it's great that you care so much about her. She needs someone. Maybe she doesn't see it right now because it's too soon. And maybe she doesn't think she'll ever want to love someone else the way she loved Ezra. I know if I lost Auggie I wouldn't want to think about moving on either. But she will, in time. Just be her friend David."

"That's what we agreed on." He nodded as they worked their way along a ridge overlooking the lake below. "I just wish it was enough."

"It will be enough," she replied. "In the end, I think it will be."

xxx

They'd stopped for a few minutes to rest and eat their lunch but Scott was not interested in talking at all. He jumped up, ready to get going again. "The sooner we get back, the sooner we get away from one another again," he announced, holding a hand out to help her up off the rocks they'd found to rest on.

The area was fairly clear of trees. They were atop a large green hill and could see down into a valley below them. "Sounds good to me," Daisy rubbed her sore back as nonchalantly as possibly, trying not to let him see that she was feeling weak in any way. She finally rose without his help and grinned smugly as he dropped his hand. She waited while he studied the map.

"West," he spoke the single word and stowed his map.

Daisy got the heading and pointed, not saying a thing. It had become routine. She was putting her compass away as Scott turned west. Daisy was just about to take a step forward when she felt her body lurch forward. Scott shouted something unintelligible at the same moment. She fell onto her butt and was sliding forward, unable to stop herself. That's when she realized Scott was nowhere in her line of sight. He must have slipped over the edge of the hill.

Her suspicions were confirmed as she neared the edge as well, clawing at anything she could find to stop herself from slipping further. There were not trees, bushes or roots in range. She tried to dig in with her feet instead. Daisy could see Scott a few feet below her, faced head first down the sloped hill. It was a bit steep but at least it wasn't a cliff edge.

"Daisy, untie the rope!" Scott shouted to her.

She didn't really want to let him go; worried that he'd fall faster without her added weight. But it would just be a hell of a bumpy ride, not a complete drop. That gave her small comfort as she realized she had no choice but to let him free. She reached out with one hand toward the rope. The knot was too tight though and she didn't dare let her other hand go, it was the only thing bracing her at the moment.

"I can't get it," she finally yelled down to him.

"Okay," Scott had an idea. "Don't move, I'm going to try and get my knife and cut it," he explained. The boy was dangling by one leg, all the blood rushing to his head as he tried in vain to reach behind and grab the pack on his back. Unfortunately all he did was manage to wiggle himself further down the hill, taking Daisy along with him.

"Shit," he swore as he watched her slide over the edge of the hill on her butt. They both made it down the hill the hard way and landed at the bottom panting, or in Daisy's case, swearing loudly.

"Why don't you watch where the hell you're stepping!" tears were brimming in her eyes as she rubbed both her sore back and butt.

"I knew you shouldn't have come on this hike," Scott groaned as he tried to untie the knot in the piece of rope that was still holding them together.

"At the moment, I agree with you," Daisy confessed, a feeling of dread suddenly flowing over her as she felt a sharp pain shoot across her abdomen and lower back. She tried to cover it up but a groan of pain escaped her lips, instantly putting Scott on alert.

He abandoned his task to look over at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Daisy replied even as she winced against an ever increasing soreness in her back. It had been bothering her all day but now it was several times worse. "I'm fine," she maintained, hoping to brush off his concern.

"Like hell," Scott countered. "If you're so fine then why do you look like you've extremely uncomfortable?" he questioned. "Did you hurt yourself, break something, or sprain?" there was genuine concern in his tone as he gave her a once over with his eyes.

"No," Daisy returned. "I just… there's this strange pain," she thought that maybe standing would help and made a move to do just that. But as she shifted her weight the ground beneath her gave way with the sound of cracking wood. Like their earlier tumble, Scott and Daisy fell together, only this time there was no sliding. They went down, straight down.

Daisy crumpled to the ground and Scott did his best not to land on top of her. He felt his ankle twist slightly as he landed. Glancing upward he could see broken boards and dirt. It looked like they'd fallen nearly twenty feet or more. He refocused on the cavernous space and adjusted his eyes to the dim light. Instantly, he ripped his pack off and found the knife inside. Scott snapped the rope that had been holding them together.

He crouched at Daisy's side, ignoring the dull throb in his ankle. Her eyes were closed but he found a pulse easily enough. "Come on, Daisy. This isn't funny," his heart was beating wildly as he tried to rouse her.

A soft moan escaped her mouth, causing Scott's heart to leap into his throat. "Scott?" she slowly opened her eyes and spotted him beside her. "I don't feel so good," she closed her eyes again and tried to block out the growing discomfort.

"I don't doubt that," he was just happy to know she was conscious. "We just fell into a… I have no idea where we are actually. An old mining shaft maybe?" Scott looked her over. "I don't think there's any way we can climb out of here," he informed her.

Daisy carefully pulled herself up into a sitting position, one hand going to her back. "I think we have bigger problems than getting out of here."

"What do you mean?" Scott was up on his feet now, looking around for some possible way out, any sort of foothold he could use to climb up and out.

"Well," Daisy looked down at her very wet pants, feeling rather embarrassed as she removed her coat and tried to cover up the best she could. "I've never actually been in labor before, but all the signs I'm getting are pointing my head to that general conclusion," she revealed. "Back aches, sharp pains, and I think my water just broke," she grimaced.

Scott spun around, abandoning his search. He stared down at her, mouth literally hanging open. "Now?" he asked her. "You have got to be kidding me, now?"

"Trust me on this, jocko. I truly wish I were joking," Daisy winced as another pain rippled across her back. She was surprised by how fast it had all happened. "I can't believe I was so stupid. Why did you ever agree to go on this hike with me?" she screwed up her face as another bolt of pain caused her to cry out.

"What?" Scott shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't agree!" he protested. "This is…" he shook his head, not having any sort of clue as to what to do with someone in labor. "I can't do this."

"Yeah, well I can't do it alone," Daisy replied.

_To be continued…_


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on."  
-Carl Sandburg_

_Part 17_

Auggie and Shelby made their way into the clearing of Horizon's grounds. They spotted Juliette and David waiting for them at one of the picnic tables. "Just when you think you know this place, they send you off some way you've never been before," Auggie commented as he dropped down to take a seat beside Juliette. "How'd you do twig?" he asked her.

Juliette grinned. "Well, we beat you two back here."

"I thought it wasn't a race?" Shelby scoffed as she removed her pack and sat down as well, resting her tired legs. They hadn't been on a good hike in a while due to winter break and the weather not being so great.

"It wasn't, but we still beat you," David joined in on the teasing, grinning smugly.

Shelby rolled her eyes at the boy who she found a rather large nuisance. She still didn't know what Daisy had ever thought she'd seen in him for a brief time before Ezra had taken over her romantic thoughts. "So where are Scott and Daisy?" she wondered aloud. "I hope she really did bring him back in one piece," the girl joked.

"Haven't seen them yet," David remarked. "But here come our fearless leaders," he pointed toward Sophie and Peter as they came to join them from the East.

"You guys did well," Peter spoke as he neared them, eyeing Auggie and Shelby specifically. "We just passed you down by the creek not long ago, how'd you beat us back?" he asked.

"Apparently we know this place better than you two now," Auggie joked, knowing it wasn't true.

"Yeah," Juliette agreed. "Well, we've certainly walked enough of it over the years," she groused, still not fond of hiking or most other outdoor activities.

"So, how did Daisy and Scott do?" Shelby asked the adults. "Are they already showered and up at the lodge?"

Sophie shrugged. "Not sure, we just got back ourselves," she reminded the group. Roger came walking across the lawn at that exact moment, waving to them as he neared their position.

"Hey, I know you said to keep an eye out for Scott and Daisy but they haven't shown up yet," the man informed his friends.

"They should have been back at least an hour ago," Peter was instantly on alert. "Are you sure they're not around here somewhere? Has anyone seen them?" he didn't want to think the worst but it was hard not to.

Roger shook his head. "I even checked the dorms myself. I figured they'd both probably be hungry but no one on Kitchen duty has seen them. None of the teachers either," he concluded.

The four teenagers at the table jumped up and grabbed their packs again. "So, what are we waiting for?" David asked. They were all ready to start searching.

Peter and Sophie were in no mood to deny them, worry clouding their judgment. Peter spread his map out on the table and ran his finger along a blue line. "I last spotted then at the angel creek clearing, about ten miles south-west of here. They were eating lunch. It should have only taken two hours at most to get back here," he explained, refolding the map.

"Roger, contact Sheriff Swann and let him know what's going on," Sophie shouted over her shoulder as they were already headed off toward the woods. "Tell him we might need his help if we can't track them down before dark."

xxx

"Daisy, I don't know what to do," Scott was still at a loss as he tried to search the cave for some sort of help. His small flashlight didn't illuminate much and the light from the hole above them was slowly starting to dissipate as the sun began to set.

"And you think I do?" Daisy returned.

"Well, you took all those birthing classes with Sophie, right?" he reminded her.

Daisy sighed. "Yeah, that's right, classes," she retorted. "Because classes and real life are so much the same. The women in those videos were all in hospitals with doctors and sterile tools, not stuck in some dirty old mine shaft with a teenaged football star," she tried to remember all the Lamaze breathing exercises she'd learned.

"What can I do?" Scott reluctantly asked, he was more than a little uncomfortable but he could tell that Daisy really needed his help.

"Your coat," she pointed to his parka.

He looked reluctant to give up the item. "It's cold in here and only getting colder," he protested. One look from Daisy was all it took for him to strip off the rain jacket and hand it over.

"Now help me up," Daisy wasn't asking questions of him, she didn't have time. Demands were much quicker. Scott obeyed and helped her stand. "Stay there while I get out of these pants," she held onto one of his shoulders. Scott felt his face flush as he did what she said, turning his head but standing there so she could keep her balance.

Daisy gave him the all clear a few minutes later and he turned around to find that she's gotten herself back to a sitting position. She was carefully perched on his jacket while her own covered the bottom half of her body. "Now comes the fun part," she looked up to him, trying to keep her nerves in check. "Since I'm not an acrobat, you need to look and see what's going on down there," Daisy revealed.

Scott turned white as a sheet. "No way," he actually took a step back. "I can't do that, that's…"

"Oh, grow up," Daisy spat. "It isn't going to be remotely sexy, trust me," she intoned. "I just need to know what you see because I feel like this kid is about to make its grand entrance in a matter of minutes here," she groaned, trying not to push even though the urge was so great it was hard not to.

"Crap," Scott swore, shaking his head. He finally got down on his knees and slowly pulled her jacket back. The teenager glanced downward, grimacing the whole time and practically squinting so tightly his eyes were shut. They nearly popped out of his head as he finally focused in and confirmed Daisy's suspicions. "Oh, God," he dropped the jacket. "I'm pretty sure that was a head."

"Scott!" the boy jumped up as he heard his name being called. It took him a second to realize it hadn't been Daisy's voice calling to him. His neck craned upward. "Sophie! Peter! Anyone, if you can hear me we're down here!" he yelled back. Scott sighed with relief when he noticed Sophie's head appear over the edge of the hole a second later. "Sophie, thank God," he actually smiled to see her.

"Scott, is Daisy with you?" She asked. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, she's here with me," Scott replied, looking over at Daisy whose face was scrunched up in pain. "But in a few minutes there's going to be three of us down here," he added. "She's in labor."

Above them Peter and Sophie shared a worried look. "Okay, we're going to get you out of there," Peter called down to the boy. "Just hang on."

"No way," Scott returned. "There's no time," he let them know. "I just saw a head."

Sophie looked to Peter again. "I need you to get me down there now," she'd never been more adamant about anything before.

Peter nodded without hesitation. "Auggie, David and Jules, help me hook up a pulley system," he directed the kids into action. "Shelby, I need you to fish the radio out of my pack and contact Roger. Tell him to get Swann and a med team out here ASAP," he grabbed the rope and started the preparations to get Sophie into the shaft.

Below them, Scott went to Daisy's side. "They're here, you're going to be fine," he watched her for a moment as she nodded stiffly. She was sitting there very still as she performed her simple breathing exercises. "How can you be so calm?" Scott wondered. He was a complete mess, himself.

Daisy looked him in the eye. "Actually, I'm completely terrified," she confessed. "I'm just very good at burying my emotions."

They both watched as Sophie descended into the old shaft. She disconnected from the rope the second her feet hit the ground and was at Daisy's side in a matter of seconds. Scott made a move to get up but Daisy grabbed his hand and locked eyes with him. He stayed put. "How is it going, Daisy?" Sophie asked as she assessed the situation.

"Oh, you know, I've been better," Daisy cracked.

"At least you're in good spirits," Sophie pushed the jacket back and was surprised at the progress, even though Scott had mentioned as much to them. "Wow, looks we're going to have this baby right now. Can you push for me, Daisy," she instructed.

The girl didn't speak a reply, simply bared down and pushed with all her might. Scott thought his hand was going to break as Daisy squeezed it tightly in her strong grip. She stopped pushing for a second, taking a deep breath. "Scott," Sophie looked up. "There's a small emergency blanket in my pack. I need you to grab it. Also, get your pocket knife and sterilize it the best you can with the lighter. And find some string, as clean as possible," she turned back to Daisy. "Just a few more pushes and this baby will be out," she promised the girl.

Daisy pushed again as Scott quickly scrambled to organize everything Sophie had asked for. He placed the blanket just in time to see the baby's head emerge fully. He was too shocked to be embarrassed or look away. With one more push the shoulders were clear and the tiny baby slid out completely. Sophie carefully caught the child and laid her upon the blanket.

Scott felt his lips involuntarily curl into a smile. "It's a girl," he declared as a chorus of happy cheers filled the shaft from above them. Daisy and Sophie shared a knowing look as he revealed the baby's sex. Sophie tied off the umbilical cord and directed Scott to cut the cord with his knife. Daisy was nervous as they made the motions. She couldn't see anything and there was no sound coming from the baby.

"Is she okay?" Daisy asked.

Sophie cleaned a finger the best she could and cleared the baby's airway. A strong cry immediately rang out, putting all their fears at ease. Sophie held the girl up above Daisy's legs so she could see the child. Then she placed the little girl back upon the blanket and wrapped her up tightly. She held the child in her arms for the first time and realized she'd never felt more complete. She didn't think she could love the baby any more if she'd given birth to the child herself.

"She looks perfect," Sophie finally found her voice.

"Kind of small," Scott noted. "And slimy," he added. Sophie chuckled at the teenaged boy's response. But she was more concerned by the look on Daisy's face. The girl appeared rather conflicted. She had a feeling Daisy wasn't sure what to do now that the baby was there. So she made the first offering.

"Would you like to hold her?" Sophie asked.

Daisy looked unsure. "Is it okay?"

"It's okay with me," Sophie assured the girl and Daisy nodded. Sophie carefully passed the baby off to her. Daisy felt like an idiot as the tears streamed down her face, looking into her child's eyes for the first time. The baby quickly curled up to her and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep already, apparently tired by the long journey.

"She looks like him," Daisy spoke, sniffing back the tears. She looked up to Sophie. The older woman nodded, she'd noticed it too. "Hey, kid," Daisy whispered to the baby, holding her close. "I just want you to know that I love you and that Ezra loves you, we'll always love you. Peter and Sophie love you too. They're going to be your parents. I hope you'll understand all of this some day," she concluded, kissing the girl on the forehead.

Scott was surprised by the information, but he kept quiet as he watched Daisy and Sophie. Daisy offered the sleeping child back to Sophie with a confident look. "She's all yours, mom."

_To be continued…_


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again."  
-Flavia Weedn_

_Part 18_

Daisy and the baby had been checked out by the doctor, who'd declared there was no need for them to go to the hospital. Both were in perfect health. Scott and Daisy had been very lucky not to have suffered serious injury after their fall. Daisy had fallen asleep shortly after that and it was nearly noon the next day now as she awoke in the Horizon infirmary. The realization that she was very alone did not help her already skewed emotions. She found herself crying as she laid there.

"Hey," David popped into the room with his hands behind his back.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Daisy replied, quickly brushing the tears away as she sat up. She was still a bit sore but otherwise no worse for wear.

"Sorry," the boy replied as he moved into the room fully and made his way to her bed. He stood there for a moment, not sure if his presence was welcome. But he'd made a vow to be her friend and she certainly looked like she could use one at the moment. "How are you?"

"Fine," Daisy promptly replied.

"No you're not," David easily intoned. "You just gave birth to a child that Sophie and Peter are fawning all over in the other room. That can't be easy on you," he noted.

She had spent too much of her life trying to mask over her emotions and she didn't want to do it anymore. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she didn't bother to brush it away. "I know I made the right decision, David. And I'm not going to change my mind. I just never expected to miss her so much," the girl confessed.

He sat down on the edge of her bed. "That's why I brought Mr. Buttons," David revealed the shabby looking old teddy bear from behind his back. It was dark brown with a navy blue coat and three silvery buttons down the front. He placed the bear in Daisy's open arms. "I figured you might need something to hold on to."

"Thanks," Daisy managed a sad smile as she regarded the bear. It looked pretty well loved. She arched an eyebrow at her friend.

"My mom sent him up for my _Return to Childhood_ solo," he admitted to the bear being his. "When I was little he went everywhere I went. I was pretty scared of thunder storms too and he always made me feel better, kept me safe," the boy concluded. "And if you tell anyone that I just said that I'll deny it," he warned.

"Too late," Shelby's voice entered the room. "Your secret is out," she grinned with unabashed amusement as she and the other cliffhangers entered Daisy's room. They all gathered around her bed after hugs and well wishes were exchanged.

Scott was perched at the left corner of her bed. "So, why didn't you ever tell me that Peter and Sophie are the ones adopting the baby?" he asked.

Shelby socked her boyfriend in the arm. "Maybe because you never gave her a chance," the girl answered for her friend.

He realized that what she said was true. He looked to Daisy. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "For being such a jerk to you all that time. I guess I was just worried you know. Step parents and adoptive parents, well, maybe they don't care as much as biological parents. Don't care if they do things like, you know, they shouldn't," he figured he was doing a lousy job of explaining himself.

Daisy shook her head, understanding him perfectly. "You know what that's like and I'm sorry I didn't take your feelings into consideration," she apologized as well.

"Sophie and Peter will be good to her," Scott added. "They'd never hurt her," he hoped to sound reassuring.

"Yeah," Daisy agreed. "It's for the best. Maybe some day when I'm older, when I'm wiser," she scoffed a bit at the thought. "I don't know, maybe then I could be a good mom," she reasoned.

"Nah, you already are Daisy," Scott countered. They'd gone through a lot in a short amount of time in the old mining shaft. But it was enough for him to realize exactly how strong Daisy was. "You're doing what you think is best for your kid. You're a great mom, Daisy," he concluded.

The girl found more tears welling up in her eyes as he spoke. Thankfully Peter and Sophie entered the room and caused a distraction. Everyone turned to ogle the newborn in Sophie's arms. Daisy looked over too, seeing a much cleaner baby girl. She was wrapped up snuggly in a soft pink blanket and seemed oblivious to all the people in the room as she slept.

"Is she okay?" Daisy asked, still trying to get a handle on not being the first one to know important information about the baby she'd carried for nine months and given birth to. It was going to take some time to get used to. She held the bear in arms a little tighter.

Peter grinned like a mad man. "Six pounds, three ounces and she has all her fingers and toes. The doctor said she would have been pretty big had she gone full term. Guess you got lucky there," he tried to cheer a serious looking Daisy. He went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so proud of you, kiddo," he whispered before pulling back.

"Does she have a name?" Juliette asked the question on everyone's mind.

Sophie and Peter laughed. "Uh, not yet. We kind of thought we'd have more time," they revealed.

"Make sure you don't name her after Ezra or me," Daisy spoke up again. Everyone turned to her. "She needs to be her own person, to have her own identity," the girl concluded.

The new parents easily agreed to Daisy's wishes. "The doctor said we can take her home this afternoon, so…" Sophie felt odd leaving Daisy behind as they took the baby home.

"That's good, hospitals are no fun," Daisy responded, hoping to make the transition easy on all of them. Sophie moved toward Daisy and leaned in, kissing the girl on the forehead. Daisy's hand instinctively went to the little girl, gently stroking her soft cheek. "Be happy," she whispered to the child.

Peter and Sophie were almost to the door on their way out when Daisy called them back. "Peter, I think I'm finally ready," she told him. "To say good bye," she added.

The man nodded his understanding. "We were just waiting for you to give us the go ahead," he replied.

xxx

They gathered by the river a week later. Sophie held the baby who was bundled against the slight chill of the early February air. Peter stood beside them and looked out over the water. The cliffhangers stood at the front of the group but all the teachers and students had joined them to say farewell to one of their own.

"Friedkin was kind of a pain sometimes," Shelby spoke briefly. "But he was always there with a hug or a supportive word when you needed him."

Scott squeezed her hand. "He had a look in his eyes that always made me think he knew more than a teenager should. He was a good guy," the words seemed awkward but it was hard to sum up a friends life.

"He always knew when I was down," Auggie took a second to reflect. "He knew when words were needed and when they weren't," he concluded, looking to Juliette.

"Ezra had one of the kindest hearts I've ever known," Jules sniffed, dropping her head to Auggie's shoulder.

"He was my best friend," Kat took up where the others left off. "Helped more through more than a few rough times," she smiled at the happy memories and tried to forget the bad stuff. "I'll miss him," she finished.

All eyes inevitably came to fall upon Daisy as she stood by the lake, staring off at something none of them could see. She saw Ezra there again, floating above the water's surface. She closed her eyes and reopened them. He was gone and she knew she'd never see him again. She finally understood what he'd been asking as he demanded she help him. All he needed was to know she'd be okay. That's how he'd been able to move on.

No words could explain the depth of the loss she was feeling. So she sang the one song that came close, her voice drifting over them like a salve against their broken hearts. "_T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear. And Grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that Grace appear, the hour I first believed." _

The crowd parted after that and slowly made their way back to the dorms and lodge. Peter and Sophie remained at Daisy's side. Sophie leaned into her husband and whispered something in his ear. Peter nodded, a smile forming on his face. He went to the girl and put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her over to join them.

"We thought you should be the first to know, we decided on a name," Sophie spoke up.

"Just now actually," Peter added.

Daisy looked at them expectantly. "And?" she questioned.

"Grace," Sophie revealed.

The teenager couldn't help the happy smile that came unbidden to her lips. "You two really are sappy, aren't you?" she teased, feeling her life already start to slip back into place. Ezra wouldn't have wanted her to mourn forever. She had too much living yet to accomplish. And most importantly, she had a little girl to love. She ran a hand over the child's cheek again the way she had a week ago. The girl's eyes opened and looked right up at her.

"What do you think, kid?" Daisy asked the baby. "How does Grace sound to you?" A wide toothless grin replied and Daisy marveled at the little girl that she'd helped to create. "Already siding with your parents against me, huh?" she joked. Daisy looked to Peter and Sophie again. "It's perfect," she nodded her agreement. "She's one very lucky little girl," she added.

"No, Daisy," Peter hugged her again as they all started off, back toward the school. "If she's half as amazing as you, we're the lucky ones," he concluded.

_To be continued…_


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any rights to the TV show _Higher Ground _or its characters.

**Amazing Grace  
**By  
N. J. Borba

_"Some friends become enemies; some friends become your family.  
Make the best with what you're given, this ain't dying this is living."  
-All American Rejects_

_Epilogue… ten years later…_

Curly brown hair flopped all around as the nine year old girl jumped up and down with excitement racing through her veins. "David is here!" she cheerfully cried out as she looked to her parents and Daisy.

"How come you don't get that excited when I come to visit?" Daisy pretended to sound hurt.

Grace rolled her eyes at the woman. "I see you lots more than I see David," the girl replied as she took off, sprinting across the lawn to greet David at his car.

"Should I be offended by that?" Daisy asked of Sophie and Peter as they all moved toward the parking lot. She smiled broadly as David dropped his bags and lifted Grace up into his arms, kissing the girl on the cheek. He hefted the child over to where the rest of them were standing.

"Did any of you lose a cute little girl?" David asked.

Peter and Sophie looked at each other then shook their heads. "Nope, not us," Peter replied. "How about you, Dais?" he asked.

Daisy shook her head as well. "I don't know any cute little girls," she replied with a serious face.

Little Grace wiggled out of David's arms and ran to Sophie. "Mommy, you know me," she protested their playful banter. "It's me, Gracie," she wrapped her arms around the woman. Sophie hugged her daughter back as they all laughed.

David made his way to Daisy's side, embracing her with a hug and then a kiss that lasted longer than he'd planned. They were finally broken apart by Grace's voice. "They're kissing again," the child made a scrunched up face, still young enough to think that kissing was yucky, to which Peter was grateful.

"When you're engaged to be married, you can kiss a boy too," Peter told his daughter. "But not until you're thirty," he wagged a finger at her.

"Daisy's only twenty-eight and she's getting married," Grace pointed out.

"Well, that's because we like her better than you," Peter teased the girl as he picked her up and started a brutal tickle attack. The child was in hysterics when he finally set her back on her feet. By that time anther two cars had pulled into the driveway. The first was Kat, Hank and their five year old son, Sam. The second car held Auggie and Juliette.

Auggie helped his wife across the lawn as she patted her very rounded belly. There were many happy greetings and hugs all around. Grace said hello politely to them all before engaging Sam in a game of tag around the yard. The two children pranced around in the sunny afternoon glow of spring.

Another couple climbed out of their car a few minutes later and walked over to join their friends. Shelby wrapped her arms around Daisy. "I can't believe you're actually getting married. I thought it would never happen. I swear the two of you are so slow," she pulled away from Daisy and gave David a hug as well. They'd become much closer over the years.

"Well, not everyone marries their high school sweetheart straight out of college," Daisy teased her friend right back as Scott gave Daisy a big bear hug.

"It's good to see you, Dais," Scott smiled down at his friend.

"Good to see you too. Let's not wait another year between visits, okay," Daisy made a slightly accusatory glance their way.

Shelby grinned as she looked to her husband. He nodded. "Well, you'll have to come visit us in about seven months to help welcome the newest member of our family," the young woman revealed their big news to the group.

Daisy hugged her friend again. "I can't believe you're going to be a mom," she was so happy for both of her friends. The others all joined in with their congratulations.

Scott was suddenly tackled by a short dark-haired child. He looked down and grinned. "Who is this?" he asked. "You kind of look like a little girl I once knew named Gracie. But she was a lot shorter the last time I saw her," he teased.

"It's me," Grace smiled. "Hi uncle Scott," she hugged him and moved on to her favorite auntie. Shelby crouched down and hugged the girl properly. "Are you really going to have a baby?" Grace asked.

"Yep, another little cousin for you," Shelby stood up again, glancing over at Juliette. "We just keep expanding this family more and more," she patted her friend's tummy.

"Just wait," Juliette warned. "Your time will come," she added with a smile. The two of them still shared a healthy love/hate relationship. They wouldn't have it any other way.

Grace turned to Daisy with a serious look on her face. "If you and David have babies, will they be my cousins too or will they be my brother and sister?" she asked the innocent question.

True to Peter's word they had raised Grace to know about her adoptive status since birth. The girl understood the difference between birth parents and adoptive parents. She was fine with the whole situation and had enough love in her heart for all of them. She sometimes reminded them all so much of Ezra that it hurt to look at her.

Peter stepped forward to save Daisy from the awkward question. "They'll be your family, Grace," he replied to his daughter. "Just like everyone here is your family."

The girl seemed fine with the answer as Sam came up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "More tag?" he asked. That was all they needed to return to the land of childhood playfulness and little worry.

Yet another car pulled into the gravel drive and they all looked up, not expecting anyone else until the following day, which would be David and Daisy's big event. They watched as an older looking couple got out of the car and started to walk toward them. Daisy was the first to realize who the man was. She turned to face the others. "Who told him?" she asked, looking from face to face.

"I did," David revealed. "I know it probably wasn't my place but it's not right that you've gone so long without talking to him, Daisy," he tried to explain his reasoning. "I know from experience that's it's better to make peace with your family before it's too late," he'd never gotten a chance to properly come to terms with his father before the man had died.

"He left me," Daisy replied as she watched her father come closer. She'd never been quite so nervous in her life, not even while giving birth in a dark cavern.

Her father stood there for a long moment, barely recognizing his own daughter. She'd grown into the most beautiful young woman. "You look so much like your mother," he remarked, not knowing where to start. "I'm sorry to show up early like this. I thought it would save a scene on your wedding day. If you want us to go then we will," he offered.

"Why did you come?" Daisy tried to keep her voice even. "Why now, after all these years?" she was surprised that she actually wanted answers. The young woman had long since thought she'd gotten over needing her father's approval. She had Peter and Sophie who'd been wonderful to her for the past ten years.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," her father revealed. "I did what I did because I believed it was for the best. I knew I couldn't help you Daisy. And after a while of silence, it just continued to be easier to stay away," he admitted. "Margaret was the one who finally convinced me it was time to see you," he nodded toward the woman at his left.

"I have two children of my own," Margaret spoke up. "I know that, no matter what, you always love your children and you try to do right by them. Your father did what he thought was best," she reiterated what her husband had said.

Daisy wasn't sure what to say until the words hit her. "It was the best for me, being here," she admitted. "Peter and Sophie took me in, they made me part of a family," she told the man. Her face faltered as her eyes misted. "But I still needed you," Daisy revealed. "I still needed my father," she let him know.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I don't know what else I can say."

Grace and Sam came running back into the middle of the group at that moment. Sam went to his father and Hank lifted the boy up into his strong arms, kissing the child on the cheek. Grace glanced around at the serious looks on everyone's face. She noticed that Daisy looked really sad so she wrapped her arms around her.

Daisy smiled, wondering how the child always knew how to comfort her. She looked to her father again and was actually relieved that he hadn't walked away. "Grace, there's someone I want you to meet," she turned the girl around. "This is my dad and his wife Margaret," she introduced them. "And this is Grace, she's Peter and Sophie's daughter," Daisy concluded.

The girl looked up at the older man with wide eyes. "Are you really Daisy's daddy?" she asked. "Why haven't I met you before?"

Mr. Lipenowski looked a little dismayed. "Well, we haven't seen each other in a long time," he finally answered.

"Oh," Grace seemed to accept the answer without much trouble. "Did you know that Daisy gave birth to me?" she asked with the same mixture of innocence and confidence that she always managed to exude.

Everyone chuckled at the girl's outright honesty. The older man was surprised at first but mostly he felt guilty that he hadn't even thought to ask about the child his daughter had been carrying when he'd abandoned her ten years previous. Looking at the little girl he could suddenly see so many similarities between her and his daughter. "No, I didn't know that," he replied.

"Yep," Grace returned. "She loves me a lot because she gave me to my parents so they could love me too," she concluded.

Daisy didn't imagine she could ever be more proud of the girl. She squeezed Grace's hand as Sophie tried to shift the topic into slightly less emotional territory, seeing that Daisy was having a little trouble with the sudden onslaught of her father's arrival.

"Why don't we all move into the lodge. There's lunch waiting," Sophie directed her former cliffhangers and Peter followed after them, leaving Daisy to deal with her father however she saw fit. Grace stayed at her side, which Peter and Sophie expected. As much as she was their child, she was still Daisy's as well.

David stayed as well, whispering in his future bride's ear. "Are you mad at me?" he asked.

"No," Daisy shook her head. "Not entirely happy with you at the moment but I know your heart was in a good place," she returned.

He smiled and turned to address Daisy's father. "We'd like you to stay," he spoke for him and Daisy, hoping he wasn't out of line again where the woman he loved was concerned. She nodded in agreement.

"We don't want to put anyone out," her father replied. "We can go," he assured them. "But I would like to stay," the honest remark worked its way out. "I'd like a chance to get to know you again, Daisy."

"And I'd just like to get a chance to know you at all," Margaret ventured.

Daisy liked the woman. She wasn't sure why but she seemed nice enough and her father actually looked happy standing at the woman's side. "Well, in that case, we have a lot of catching up to do," she tried to make the best of it. "In a nutshell, I graduated from Horizon, went to college on a scholarship, attended nursing school and just finished my nursing rotation at the University of Washington Medical Center. Now I'm getting married and taking the staff nursing position here at Horizon. David's going to be a counselor here as well," Daisy relayed the jumble of information.

"We wanted to be closer to Grace," David added, smiling down at the girl who was still stuck to Daisy side. He'd come to love the child just as much as Daisy and the feeling was mutual.

"We're a bit of an odd group around here," Daisy continued as they moved toward the main building. "But we are family," she noted.

"Kat likes to call us a work in progress," Grace added.

David guided Daisy's dad and Margaret into the lodge as Grace and Daisy stood on the porch. They gazed out at the mountain, the trees and the rocks and the sun that had become a part of their hearts and souls over the years. Grace looked up at Daisy and smiled. "Lucky socks," the girl spoke the two words.

Daisy's heart clenched with joy as she recalled the first time she and Grace had talked about Ezra. She'd told the girl about their secret code words and Grace had picked up on it, wanting to share the secret as well. It had taken Daisy a long time to be able to think about Ezra without getting sad but it had eventually happened. All with the help of one amazing child.

"Should never be washed," Daisy replied.

_**The End**_


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